Family Secrets
by evans516
Summary: Quinn Montgomery isn't even sure how she manages to take care of herself. With their parents still in Europe, Aria moves in with her, making Quinn her legal guardian. When Aria starts receiving texts from the mysterious A, Quinn knows more than she's willing to let on and has to seek help in an unexpected place. JasonOC (different A)
1. Homecoming

_Homecoming_

Quinn Montgomery was waiting patiently at the airport, checking her phone again for the time. She was excited that her sister was coming back, but also anxious. Her parents had taken her younger siblings Aria and Mike over to Iceland last year. Quinn would have gone with them, but she had started nursing school at Hollis so she stayed in Rosewood.

Her father had recently gotten an extended job offer over in Europe and had accepted it. Her mom and brother were willing to stay, but Aria was ready to come home. Their parents decided that Aria could move back to Rosewood to live with Quinn in her two bedroom apartment she rented near campus. Quinn was happy that her younger sister was coming home, but she was also nervous about being a guardian. Some days, she was surprised she could even take care of herself.

"Quinn!" she heard a familiar voice calling. The brunette turned to see her sixteen year old sister hurrying over to her.

"Hey!" Quinn smiled, meeting Aria halfway to hug her. "You're here, finally." Aria laughed.

"My flight was delayed," she explained, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

The girls had the same, thick and long brown hair. Aria had their mother's brown eyes though while Quinn had their father's blue ones. They had the same slim frame, though Quinn was slightly taller than her younger sister. While Aria had more of a daring, alternative style, Quinn dressed more like the girl next door. Today, Quinn was wearing a deep blue sundress with thin straps. Aria was wearing a boldly colored top with a skirt and lace leggings.

"Figures," Quinn shrugged. "Come on, let's go get your bags."

The girls went to baggage claim, getting Aria's two large suitcases. Earlier in the week movers brought some boxes Aria had sent from Iceland to Quinn's apartment. After the airport, Quinn took Aria straight to her apartment to allow her time to unpack. The building was a walk up and Quinn's apartment was on the second floor.

When you walked into the apartment the living room was to the left and the dining room was to the right. The dining room was small, enough space for a table and four chairs. There was a small doorway that lead from there into the kitchen. If you walked straight from the entrance you would come to a T. At the center of the T was the bathroom. On the left was Quinn's bedroom and the right was Aria's new room. Aria was unpacking her second suitcase when Quinn knocked on the door frame.

"Get ready," Quinn told her. "We're going to Joe's."

"That's a bar," Aria reminded her. While Quinn had recently turned twenty one, Aria was still sixteen.

"It's a bar _and_ grill," Quinn rolled her eyes playfully, tossing one of her old IDs on Aria's bed. "Come on, it'll be fun."

Aria gave in, leaving to go to Joe's with her sister. Though Quinn had given Aria her ID just to be safe, she went up to the bar to order them drinks while Aria waited at their booth for their dinner. Just then, Quinn noticed that her sister had caught someone's attention.

He was a younger man and Quinn was convinced she had seen him around campus before. In any case, the guy had his back to her so she didn't hesitate from giving Aria a thumbs up from the bar before downing her drink. She then started slowly on the second drink, not wanting to go back to the table and interrupt Aria's flirting. Instead, she turned to a guy at the bar and started talking to him to occupy herself. Feeling her phone vibrating in the pocket of her dress, she took it out to read the text she got; it was from an unknown number.

_You should keep a better eye on your sister_  
_Maybe you're not cut out for this guardian thing -A_

Quinn quickly looked around the bar for her sister, seeing that she was no longer at the booth with that guy. She excused herself from the bar, going over to the bathroom to see if her sister was in there. Finding the women's bathroom empty, she left quickly and prepared to call Aria. As she was exiting the ladies' room though, she saw Aria leaving the men's room with the guy she had been talking to.

"Oh," Aria said awkwardly. "Um..."

"It's," Quinn started to say, but stopped. "I'm gonna go back to the bar, get another drink."

"Ok," Aria nodded quickly. As Quinn was walking away she could hear the guy apologizing to Aria and giving her his number before leaving. Quinn grabbed two more cranberry and vodkas from the bar before returning to the booth with her sister; their food finally arrived.

"So he was cute," Quinn said, brushing off their previous awkward encounter. "What's his name?"

"Ezra," Aria answered, eating a french fry. "He just graduated Hollis."

"Ooo older boy," Quinn teased her; Aria blushed. "Look, I'm not going to go all..." She paused to think about it. "_Mom_ on you." Aria laughed. "I just want to know where you're at and what you're up to." She smiled at her sister. "I was sixteen once." She thought about it. "Hell, I'm still only twenty one." Aria laughed again.

"Thanks for letting me come stay with you Quinn," Aria told her.

"What are sisters for?" Quinn asked, clinking her drink against Aria's.

The girls continued to catch up and talk about the first day of school the following day. Aria ended up having to drive home, but she didn't mind. Once Aria was in her room for the night, Quinn grabbed her phone from the night stand. She swore she would never talk to him again, but after the text she got earlier she knew he was the only one that she could trust. She took a deep breath as she selected his name from her contact list, dialing his number. As she expected, he didn't answer and forced her to leave a voice mail.

"Jason," she said. "Look, I know it's been awhile. But I got one of those texts again, like when your sister disappeared. Call me back ok? It's important."

* * *

The next day Quinn already had piles of textbooks on the table. She was sitting at the table, highlighting one of her reading assignments for that evening when Aria walked in from school. She looked like she was in a panic, her fair face even paler than usual.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," Aria kept repeating as she sat across from Quinn.

"What?" Quinn asked curiously, closing her book.

"You know that guy from last night?" Aria asked.

"Yeah, what about him?" Quinn asked. "Did he ask you out?"

"No, he's my English teacher," Aria said, her head falling onto the table.

"No!" Quinn gasped; Aria nodded, her head still down. "Oh my God."

"I know," Aria groaned, sitting up now. "God, why does he have to be so cute and funny and smart-"

"You're not actually thinking of..." Quinn interrupted, then trailed off as she studied her sister's face. "Oh my God, Aria!"

"Don't go all _mom_ on me," Aria reminded her.

"This isn't _mom_ this is..." Quinn stopped, shaking her head. "You can't do that Aria."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, it's _illegal_."

"Should we go over all of your illegal activities?" Aria snapped. Quinn went to respond, but just then her cell phone started ringing.

"Hello?" Quinn answered, still eyeing her sister suspiciously.

_"Quinn? It's Garrett Reynolds."_ Garrett and Quinn used to be friends in high school. They had lost touch recently; Garrett had recently joined the police force.

"Oh hey," she said, some confusion in her voice. She didn't know why Garrett would be calling her. "What's up?"

_"You would have found out anyway, but I wanted it to come from me," _Garrett explained_. "Earlier this afternoon, they found a body at the old DiLaurentis house." _He sighed_. "It was Alison."_

"Oh my God," Quinn said, letting out a deep breath as she sank back in her chair. "I'll tell Aria. Thanks Garrett." With that, she hung up her phone. Aria was looking at her curiously from across the table.

A few days later was the funeral for Ali. Though she knew that she needed to be there for her sister, she couldn't help but scan the crowd for Jason; she couldn't find him. She did see Ezra there though and she was careful to steer her sister away, finding Aria's friends all sitting in the same pew, three rows back.

"Hi girls," Quinn said quietly as she passed them, taking a seat in the pew before the service started. She always liked Aria's friends and tried to be nice to them. They could get on her nerves at times, like younger siblings and their friends could, but overall she liked them a lot and used to hang out with them sometimes. She hated to think this way, but her least favorite of Aria's friends had always been Alison. As the funeral started, she shook the thought from her mind.

After the service, Quinn walked outside to talk to her sister and her friends. Seeing another one of her friends from high school Darren Wilden, she went over to see what he wanted as he tried to catch her attention. The girls seemed to be watching nervously and she wondered what was going on.

"Hey Darren," she said, a bit uncomfortable. "What do you want?"

"Nice to see you too Quinn," he told her. "I understand your Aria's guardian now?" Quinn nodded. "I don't need anything today, but I will need your sister to be available for questioning."

"Questioning for what?" Quinn asked with raised eye brows.

"We're now investigating Alison's murder," Darren explained. "I'll be in touch."

Quinn made her way back over to the girls, her head spinning. A murder investigation? And they were going to be questioning her sister? She felt like she was going to be sick. She felt that her expression must be reflected in the girls right now as they all looked sick with worry.

"What's going on?" Quinn asked them quietly. She looked around before asking the next question. "Was it Jenna?" Quinn was the only person they trusted to know the Jenna thing. Quinn wasn't like Spencer's older sister Melissa who was so cold to them; they knew that they could trust her with anything.

"Girls," Quinn insisted. "What is it?"

"Can we go home?" Aria asked. "And not talk about this here?"

Quinn nodded, driving all of the girls back to the apartment. They were all silent at first, sitting in a row on the couch. Quinn was patient at first as she waited for them to start, but finally she had to ask.

"What is with you guys?" she asked. "Besides the obvious, there's something else going on." She had known these girls since they were toddlers, she knew when something was bothering them.

"We've all been getting these weird texts," Emily finally confessed. Quinn felt her stomach sink.

"What kind of texts?"

"Anonymous ones," Spencer continued. "But they know all of our secrets, things only Ali would know. They even call themselves A." Quinn didn't ask what the secrets were, respecting the privacy in that. That was why the girls knew they could go to her, because she wouldn't snoop too far into their secrets and she wouldn't tell anyone about the texts.

"Ok, um," Quinn said, not sure what to do. It wasn't like before when she was getting these messages, but now her sister and her friends were too? "Why don't you girls go home, ok? Let me know if you get anymore." She tried to brush it off. "I bet it's just some loser messing with you, all right?"

Quinn waited until the girls were all gone and Aria was in her room before grabbing her phone again. Now that her sister and the girls were involved, this situation had gotten even further out of hand. She dialed Jason one more time, but again he hadn't answered.

"Jason, you have to call me back. It's about the messages." She ran a hand through her hair. "I need you."

**thanks for reading and please let me know what you think so far! :)**


	2. Awkward Encounters

**thanks for the reviews/follow/favorite! :) hope you like this update! **

_Awkward Encounters _

Aria had been back in Rosewood for two weeks. Things were a bit on edge around the apartment. Quinn knew that her sister wasn't out with her girlfriends on nights that she said she was, that she was with Ezra instead. After all, she had to sneak around with her fair share of guys when she was sixteen and knew every lie in the book. Quinn was also anxiously awaiting word from Jason or anything more from A. Without any new text messages or notes it seemed like whoever was doing this seemed more content to watch the girls squirm.

It was finally the weekend and both Montgomery sisters knew they needed time to relax. Quinn had the music turned up in her room, both girls going between each other's bedrooms to raid each other's closets. Aria was going to a party with her girlfriends that night while Quinn had a date. Aria finally settled on black shorts with knee high socks, a black sleeveless top, and a white vest. Quinn chose a pair of skinny black jeans and a pink tank top. The girls were both in the bathroom now, doing their make up.

"Do you care if Spencer stays here tonight?" Aria asked, starting her eye make up. "She doesn't really want to stay at her place."

"Yeah, of course," Quinn nodded, fluffing her hair before starting on her own make up. "What happened?"

"You know Melissa's fiance, Wren?" Aria asked, doing her other eye.

"The doctor or something, right?" Quinn asked, apply blush to her cheek bones; Aria nodded.

"Yeah, he might have kissed Spencer," Aria admitted; Quinn's mouth dropped open as she locked eyes with Aria in the mirror. "I know."

"What is it with your group and older guys," Quinn mumbled, starting on her eye make up now. In the mirror, she could see that Aria looked hurt; Quinn sighed. "Ok, ok," she gave in, looking to her sister. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"You made that clear," Aria said, applying lip gloss.

"But," Quinn continued, ignoring the comment. "I'm the last person that should make comments on people's dating choices." There was a reason she had to sneak around when she was in high school.

"What are you saying?" Aria asked, looking over to her sister now.

"That you can keep seeing him," Quinn said, turning back to the mirror to finish her eye shadow. "I say _keep_ because I know you didn't listen." She was smiling at Aria's reflection as she said this.

"Thanks Quinn," Aria grinned, adjusting her hair. "He really is a great guy, you'd like him a lot."

"Well, hopefully he never gives me a reason not to," Quinn said, finished with her make up now as she observed her look in the mirror.

"Hey, you never told me who your date was with tonight," Aria commented. Just then, Quinn's phone started vibrating on the edge of the sink; it was a text from Garret.

_Hey, I'm here_

"No way!" Aria said, reading the text. "You're finally giving Garrett a shot?"

"Why do you say it like that?" Quinn laughed, grabbing her phone and leaving the bathroom for her bedroom.

"He's only been after you since you were in high school," Aria said, following her sister and collapsing on her bed while Quinn searched for her black flats, grinning. "He's really cute."

"The uniform doesn't hurt," Quinn smiled back as she slipped on her shoes and then grabbed her bag.

"Isn't it going to be weird though?" Aria asked. "With him and Jason and all?"

"No one's heard from Jason in a year," Quinn brushed it off, taking her car keys and tossing them to Aria. "You can take my car tonight, just please no drinking."

"Promise," Aria assured her. "Thanks, have fun!"

"Thanks, you too," Quinn said, leaving the apartment now.

She made her way down the two flights of stairs where Garrett was waiting for her outside her building, wearing jeans, a white t-shirt, and an unbuttoned plaid blue shirt. He was smiling that same shy smile he'd been giving her since they were about fifteen. Garrett had always been sweet to her and she knew that his feelings were no secret. Because of her history with Jason though, he had never tried to ask her out before; that was, until a few days ago. Quinn figured that over the last year people had stopped seeing her as _Jason's girl_. But, did she?

"Hey Garrett," she smiled at him.

"Hey," he grinned back. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," she nodded, following him over to his car where he opened the door for her. "So, what do you want to do?" she asked as he got in. "We could go to Joe's, or I think there's a back to school party over on fifth. Or-"

"I was thinking we could go to the Grille," he told her, starting his car. "Then catch a late movie."

"Oh ok," she nodded.

"We could do something else," he offered. "It's just...that's the date I always planned on taking you on in high school."

"That's sweet," she smiled at him. "Let's do it." She relaxed back in her seat, reflecting on previous high school dates. "And, hey, maybe after the movie we can make out at the kissing rock."

"That's the second date, at least," he smiled back as he continued to drive to the Grille.

Being Friday night, it was fairly crowded at the restaurant. Soon after they arrived though they were seated at a booth in the back corner. They hadn't done much talking in the last few months, so they took time to catch up. Garrett told her about how he was doing and what it was like being a cop now. She talked about school and how nervous she was about being Aria's guardian.

"Speaking of Aria," Quinn said, feeling her phone buzzing in her bag. "Sorry, I just want to make sure she doesn't need a ride."

"No, no, go ahead," Garrett insisted as Quinn pulled her phone out. It wasn't Aria calling her though. The contact name at the top of her phone read Jason DiLaurentis. Not having changed her phone settings since last summer, his ID picture was still a picture of the two of them kissing.

"Oh, it's just some girl from class," Quinn rolled her eyes, hitting ignore and tossing her phone into her bag again. "She probably needs the assignment or something."

"On a Friday night?" Garrett laughed.

"Bookworm," Quinn shrugged, picking her menu back up. "So what are you getting?"

They made it through dinner without any more awkward phone calls. After dinner, they went to the movie where Garrett gently held Quinn's hand on the arm rest. After the movie, they drove back to her place and talked outside the door on the stoop for awhile. After a little while though, the air started to cool and Quinn shivered.

"Well, I guess it's getting kinda late," Garrett commented; Quinn nodded. "I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, definitely," Quinn told him. He seemed nervous as he went in to kiss her, but the nerves went away once they started kissing. They really sank into it, Quinn leaning back against the wall of the building as Garrett continued to kiss her, his hands on her waist.

"Ahem," they heard someone clearing their throat. They turned their heads to see Aria and Spencer standing at the bottom of the stoop. "Sorry," Aria said. "We just, uh, can't get in."

"Right, yeah," Quinn said awkwardly her and Garrett edged out of the way. "I'll see you upstairs." She bit her lip as she watched Aria and Spencer go inside and head upstairs to the apartment.

"I'm sorry," Garrett apologized.

"Not your fault," Quinn shook her head. "Guess this is part of being a guardian huh?" Garrett laughed. "I'll talk to you tomorrow," she told him, kissing him lightly before heading inside herself. When she got there she found Aria and Spencer on the couch, parked in front of the tv. They turned their heads from the to look over the back of the couch when they heard her enter.

"Is that ice cream?" Quinn asked, walking over to the couch and leaning over the back. Spencer and Aria had been eating right out of the carton; Aria handed her sister her spoon.

"So," Aria grinned, stifling a giggle. "How was your date?"

"It was great," Quinn admitted. "He was sweet, we talked...and then he kissed me."

"Oh no," Aria said. "What?"

"I don't think I felt anything," Quinn complained, her head falling forward.

"Aw," Aria said sympathetically, rubbing Quinn's hair.

"Maybe just try again," Spencer suggested. "First kisses can always be awkward."

"Maybe," Quinn shrugged, standing back up straight. "You are the smart one after all," she teased; Spencer smiled a little. Quinn was glad to have Spencer over, especially after what happened with Melissa. "All right, well, I'm off to bed. Night."

"Night," the girls responded, turning back to their movie.

Quinn went over to her bedroom, closing the door behind her before kicking off her shoes. She pulled her phone from her bag, tossing it on her bed before dropping her bag on her floor. Going over to her dresser, she grabbed a spare hair tie and piled her hair in a messy bun before changing into her pajamas, cotton shorts and a tank top. As she got into her bed, she took her phone to check for messages. There was the missed call listed from when Jason called her, followed by a text that arrived shortly after the call.

_Seriously? You call me twice then ignore me_

She rolled her eyes as she went to respond.

_You're one to talk_

Without any other messages on her phone, she plugged it into the charger before setting in on her nightstand. Turning off her bedside light, she turned over to go to sleep. She was just drifting off when her phone went off to let her know she received another text message.

"Typical," she grumbled, recalling many late night texts from Jason in the old days that woke her up. It wasn't Jason messaging her though, it was someone else.

_Looking to Jason for help?_  
_Maybe the cop can try to keep you safe ;) - A_

Quinn felt sick again, the way that she always used to when she heard from A. She didn't know what to do or who to talk to about this. How could she even begin to explain this situation to Garrett? Jason was the one that had been there, who had experienced A's torment as well.

The texts started in the month after Ali disappeared. Whoever A was they seemed to know everything about them, things they thought that no one else knew. Jason was the only one that Quinn had told when she caught her dad cheating on her mom, but A somehow seemed to know that too. Whoever they were, they threatened to tell not only her mom, but Aria as well. Not only would the cheating be exposed, but so would Quinn for covering for her dad. Those weren't the only secrets she was afraid of getting out.

It was late, but she dialed him anyway. She anticipated getting his voice mail, but instead he answered.

_"Hello?"_ Jason mumbled sleepily. She felt her breath catch in her throat, unable to speak._ "Quinn, is that you?"_ She still wasn't able to answer him as tears filled her eyes. She couldn't believe they had gone this long without talking. _"Dammit Quinn, would you say something?"_

"I'm sorry I called you so late," she said quickly, hanging up on him. Soon after she hung up, her phone vibrated with another text message from Jason.

_I'll be home in two weeks_  
_I'll see you then_

**thanks so much for reading! please review and let me know your thoughts! :) **


	3. My Girl

**thanks so much for the reviews and follow! :) they mean so much! hope you like this chapter! :) **

_My Girl_

A few nights went by and Garrett was spending a lot of time over at the Montgomery sisters' apartment. Quinn thought that it was nice to have him over so often and, with him around, she hoped that there wouldn't be any more incidents with A. Tonight, however, he was working late. This was actually good for Quinn because she really needed to study. She was sitting at the table with an open textbook, chewing on the end of her highlighter when Aria came into the apartment.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" Aria asked her, sitting across form her.

"You're looking at it," Quinn commented, not taking her eyes off the page.

"Could you take a break?" Aria asked curiously. "I really need a favor."

"What kind of favor?" Quinn asked, looking up at her sister now. Aria already had her puppy eyes on, so Quinn knew this was going to be good.

"You know that bar, Joe's?" Aria asked. "They're having this open mike reading thing and Ezra is going to read one of his short stories. And I really want to go. But-"

"But if you go alone to see him it will be weird," Quinn finished for her. "But if you go to a bar with your sister and he happens to be there, it looks less weird."

"Please, please, please," Aria insisted. "We'll go and have drinks. It'll be fun." She stuck her lip out. "Please?"

"Oh God the face," Quinn groaned, shutting her textbook. "What time is this thing?"

* * *

Quinn had to admit that she was having fun. Ezra's story was great and she could see that her sister was really excited to be there. Seeing Aria this happy alone was worth it. Ezra came over to their table to talk to them once he was done with his reading. Aria excused herself to get water, leaving Quinn and Ezra alone at the table.

"Just so we're clear," Quinn said once Aria was gone, sipping at her rum and coke. "If you hurt my baby sister, I'll end you."

"Very clear," Ezra nodded, seeming a bit uncomfortable. Just then, one of his friends from college came over to hug him. Quinn recognized him from around campus like she had recognized Ezra.

"Oh hey man I'm sorry," the guy apologized. "Is this your girl?"

"Oh no!" Quinn said a little too quickly, shaking her head and making the guy laugh. "No, we're...friends...kinda." She shook her head again. "I'm Quinn."

"Hardy," he introduced himself, shaking her hand. "Nice meeting you."

"You too," she said as he took the fourth seat at the high top table. As she was saying this, her sister came back. Hardy picked up on how Ezra looked at Aria, mumbling _oh boy_ to himself under his breath. Quinn seemed to be the only one that hear, choking back a laugh. The four of them had fun, with the three of them talking about Hollis and different professors they had. Seeing that Aria felt uncomfortable and left out, Quinn opted for a solution.

"Well, we should probably go," Quinn said, hopping up from her seat. "See you guys around." Aria walked ahead to leave, but Hardy caught Quinn's arm before she could go.

"Would you wanna hang out sometime?" he asked her.

"Oh, that's really nice," she said awkwardly. "But I have a..." She started to say boyfriend, but didn't. After all, they had been hanging out for barely a week. What were her and Garrett exactly? "I have a Garrett."

"Sounds serious," Hardy laughed, plucking her phone from her hand. He dialed his number from his phone so he could have her number and she'd have his. "I'll call you."

"Uh huh," Quinn laughed, taking her phone bag and dropping it in her bag before heading out of the bar where Aria was waiting for her.

"What was that?" Aria asked as they got into the car.

"Just some guy," Quinn brushed it off, saving the contact in her phone before beginning to drive. After the anonymous texts last year she was careful to save everyone's number who she gave her phone number too. "Being a guy." She smiled. "You'll get plenty of that when you go off to college."

"I guess," Aria shrugged, looking at her phone. "Would you mind dropping me off at Ezra's? His building is only two blocks from ours."

"Sure," Quinn nodded, turning onto the correct street. "Are you...going to stay there?"

"I don't know," Aria admitted. "I stayed once...nothing happened though."

"He's not pressuring you or anything, is he?"

"No, never," Aria shook her head as Quinn came to a stop in front of the appropriate building. "He wouldn't do that."

"Ok," Quinn nodded. "But, for the record, I'd rather you stay then walk home that late by yourself." She smiled. "Make him walk with you if you decide to come home."

"Ok," Aria nodded, smiling as she got out. "See ya!"

"Bye!" Quinn called as Aria shut the door, driving a whole minute over to her own building. When she got back into the apartment, she saw Aria's keys sitting on the table. Quinn rolled her eyes, leaving the door unlocked in case Aria decided to come back. She grabbed her textbook and high lighter from the table, settling on the couch with it for the night. As she was studying, she got a text from Garrett.

_Hey, missed you tonight_  
_Sorry I had to work so late :(_

Quinn felt a little guilty now about letting that guy get her number.

_It's ok :) I'm stuck studying anyway_  
_See you tomorrow night_

She set her phone back on the coffee table, ready to read the next page. The next night she had plans to watch a movie with Garrett at the apartment since the girls would all be at the homecoming dance. Her phone vibrated again; figuring it was Garrett, she picked it up.

_Oh Quinn, meeting guys in bars while your boyfriend works away?_  
_Guess it's ok though, since you already feel like you're cheating on Jason ;) - A_

Quinn groaned, setting her phone face down on the coffee table. She didn't want to see anymore texts that night. Eventually, her biology textbook bored her to sleep as she dozed off on the couch, book still in her lap. All this talk about Garrett and Jason made her remember high school.

* * *

_Flashback - age 17_

It was Halloween and the group was watching scary movies in the dark over at the DiLaurentis house since Jason's parents were out of town. The _group_, as Quinn remembered it, was her, Jason, Ian, Melissa, and Garrett. They spent most of their time together in and out of school. Quinn was a junior, a year younger than everyone else who was a senior. Right now, her parents thought that she was just with Melissa, who they thought of as _a good influence_. They didn't think she would be with Jason, who they saw as_ nothing but trouble_. The truth was, she would never be friends with Melissa if it wasn't for these guys.

"Jason!" they heard a voice whining. They turned to see a twelve year old Alison standing on the stairs. She was dress in a witch costume. "You were supposed to take me trick or treating!" Ian, who was closest to the tv, paused the movie.

"Why don't you go try to catch up with Aria and Hanna?" Jason asked her.

"It's dark!"

"She can't go by herself Jason," Quinn told him.

"It's Rosewood," he insisted. "Nothing ever happens here."

"Uh huh," she said, getting up from the couch. "Want me to walk you over to Hanna's house?"

"Ok!" Alison said, coming the rest of the way down the stairs and following Quinn out the back door. Quinn remembered this as a time when Alison was still sweet, before she became such an awful teenager.

Quinn zig zagged them through the back yards, the fastest way to Hanna's where she caught the kids in just enough time to drop Alison off. She walked back to the DiLaurentis house, alone in the dark. She kept repeating to herself what Jason said, that nothing happened in Rosewood. Just as she got back into Jason's yard, she felt someone grab her waist from behind and she screamed loudly.

"Oh my God, Jason!" she shouted as he laughed at her. "That wasn't funny!"

"Oh, come on babe," he laughed, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her close. "It was a little funny." Having heard her scream, the other three came outside.

"Everything ok?" Garrett asked.

"Everything's fine Reynolds," Jason told him, taking Quinn's hand and leading her back inside. "Relax man."

The five of them continued on with their movie. Melissa and Ian sat on the floor and leaned back against the couch, Ian's arm around her shoulders. Jason and Quinn were sitting on the couch; Quinn was turned sideways and her legs were resting over Jason's lap. Garrett, forever stuck feeling like the fifth wheel, sat in the chair. When the movie ended, Melissa and Ian got up to leave.

"Where are you guys going?" Quinn asked. "We still have three more movies."

"They're probably off to make out in the Hastings barn," Jason joked. "Bye guys."

"Later man," Ian waved, following Melissa outside; once they were gone, Jason turned to Quinn.

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea," he grinned, leaning in to kiss her. Quinn put her hand on his chest to stop him.

"You're forgetting about someone," she reminded him; he groaned.

"Right, Reynolds," he said, turning back to his friend. "So, you need a ride home or something man?"

"Jay," Quinn said, being the only one that called him that. Though she wanted to be alone with her boyfriend, she still thought he should be nicer to Garrett. After all, she felt bad that he was the only one of the guys that didn't have a girlfriend.

"No, it's ok," Garrett said, getting up. "It's late. I'll see you guys Monday?"

"Yeah," Quinn nodded. "See ya."

"Goodnight guys," Garrett said, though he seemed to only be saying it to Quinn. When he was gone, Jason turned to look at Quinn.

"You should really be nicer to him," Quinn insisted. "He's been your best friend since you were six."

"Well, it's a little hard when my 'best friend' is constantly drooling over my girl," Jason told her, leaning in closer to her and touching her hair.

"That's right, _your_ girl," she repeated, smiling as she kissed him.

* * *

Quinn was jolted awake when she heard a crash. She sat up quickly, looking around the apartment; the door was wide open. The crash sounded like it had come from Quinn's bedroom. When she got up from the couch slowly, she saw someone dressed in all black coming out of her room. She choked on a scream, unable to move as the person ran out of the apartment. She hurried over to the door, slamming it shut and locking the door knob, the dead bolt, and the sliding chain.

Breathing heavily, she went into her bedroom. The crash must have come from when the person, whoever they were, knocked over her lamp. She turned on her bedside light to observe her room. Everything seemed to be in order, but then she caught a glimpse of the mirror that was above her dresser.

_You're not safe here - A_

The message was in red lipstick, something Quinn didn't own. Panic set in and she felt herself starting to hyperventilate. Having broken into the apartment while she was sleeping, A was taking things to a whole new level. Quinn went out to the living room to grab her phone before going back into her room and locking her bedroom door. She also checked to see that her window was locked. Quinn felt like she couldn't breathe as she dialed his number. Again it was late, close to three in the morning, and she wasn't sure if he would answer.

_"Hello?" _Jason answered, again his voice groggy with sleep. He could hear her panicking and breathing hard._ "Quinn? What's going on?"_

"Jay, I'm sorry," she said as she hugged her knees to her chest, gasping. "I just...I can't breathe...I..."

_"Hey, slow down,"_ he told her, sitting up in his bed and turning on the light. After he had graduated school at the beginning of the summer, he was staying with his parents. Things had been hard for his mom since Ali disappeared. With summer over, he had started looking for a job in Rosewood. _"What happened, are you hurt?"_

"No," she choked.

_"All right, well just calm down," _he told her. _"Take a deep breath."_ He listened while she tried to get a handle on her breathing. Eventually, it slowed down. _"Tell me what happened."_

"A was in my apartment tonight," she confessed; Jason's stomach sank.

_"While you were out?"_ he asked, a bit hopeful.

"While I was sleeping!" she told him, panic rising in her voice again, her eyes filling with tears. "They were in my room...they wrote on my mirror, saying I wasn't safe..."

_"Are the doors locked?"_ he asked.

"Uh huh," she nodded.

_"Is Aria with you?"_ he asked. He had heard through his parents that Aria was back from Iceland and living with Quinn.

"No, she's out," Quinn said, wiping the tears off her face. "I'm by myself."

_"Just stay on the phone with me," _Jason insisted_. "Till you fall asleep."_

"You don't have to do that Jason," Quinn told him, settling back against her pillows. She reached for her light, but then decided that she felt better sleeping with it on.

_"It's fine,"_ he told her, relaxing back into bed as well. What he wasn't telling Quinn was, after what just happened, he was now planning to come back to Rosewood a week early. They were quiet for awhile.

"Are you still awake?" she asked.

_"Mhmm,"_ he nodded.

"I'm sorry about last summer," Quinn apologized to him.

_"Don't go there Quinn,"_ Jason shook his head. _"Not right now, ok?"_

"Ok," she said softly, laying down fully with her phone to her ear. Eventually, she fell asleep with her phone stuck to her face.

When she woke up the next morning, her phone had died in the middle of the night. She plugged it into her charger, getting up to clean her mirror off. Once her phone was charged enough, it started buzzing with missed text messages. One was from Jason, the other was from A.

_ I think your phone died, call me if you need anything_

Part of Quinn couldn't believe Jason stayed on the phone with her that long. But, then again, she knew that she shouldn't be that surprised. After all, they had been together for four years. Feelings like that didn't just go away, no matter how badly the other person hurt you. In this case, Quinn was the one that had done the hurting.

_Sorry for the intrusion. At least it gave you and "Jay" a chance to talk -A_

Quinn couldn't believe this. She needed her sister to get home now. They had been keeping the A talk to the minimum, but after what happened last night Quinn couldn't let this go on much longer without talking about it to someone. Soon after she cleaned her mirror, she heard someone knocking on the apartment door. She check through the eye hole and saw that it was her sister.

"Sorry," Quinn said as she opened the door. "I knew you didn't have your key but...we really need to talk." She stopped when she saw that Aria's eyes were red with tears. "What happened?"

"Ezra just broke up with me," Aria said, sniffing.

"Why?" Quinn asked, bringing her sister over to the couch to talk.

"A texted me this morning and he saw it," Aria explained, wiping at her eyes. "They were talking about how I was dating my teacher and he got mad at me for telling. I tried telling him I didn't tell anyone but..." She sighed. "How can I even start to tell him about A?" Quinn shrugged, not sure herself. After all, she had been keeping all of this from Garrett. "What happened to you?"

"Um," Quinn hesitated, not sure how to tell her sister. She didn't want to scare her, but she knew there wasn't any way around that. "A was in here last night, while I was sleeping."

"What?!" Aria demanded. "Oh my God! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Quinn brushed her off. "They left a stupid note on my mirror-"

"Saying what?" Aria cut her off.

"That I wasn't safe," Quinn confessed.

"Well, did you call Garrett?" Aria asked with raised eye brows; Quinn shook her head. "Why not? I know this whole situation is messy, but he's a cop, you know?"

"Aria, there's something I need to tell you," Quinn said, hesitation in her voice.

"What?" Aria asked curiously.

"The texts that you and your friends have been getting? They're not the first time anyone has heard from A," Quinn admitted. "Jason and I...we used to hear from A too." Aria's mouth dropped open.

"You're serious?" Aria asked; Quinn nodded. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't want you to worry," Quinn explained. "I don't know. But last night I was freaking out and called Jason-"

"You called Jason?" Aria asked with raised eye brows.

"Well, he knows about the whole A thing and-"

"You need to break things off with Garrett," Aria stopped her.

"Ok, what does that have to do with any of this?" Quinn asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Aria asked, feeling like the big sister right now. "Last night, something really bad and scary happened. And, instead of calling the _cop_ you're dating you called your _ex_-boyfriend. That doesn't seem wrong to you?"

"Ugh," Quinn groaned, falling back on the couch. "When did everything get so screwed up?"

"Question is, what are we going to do about it?" Aria asked.

"Well," Quinn sighed, still laying on the couch. "You're going to go to your homecoming dance tonight and I'm going to have my movie-date-break up-thing. And we'll go from there." She sat up now. "I want you to stay at one of your friends' houses tonight, ok?"

"No way," Aria shook her head. "Not after what happened yesterday." Quinn sighed. "Look, we're in this together Quinn."

* * *

That night, Garrett was at the apartment with Quinn watching a movie. Just like she used to watch movies with Jason, she was sitting sideways with her legs resting over his. Tonight though, she had her head tilted back against the pillow and kept drifting off to sleep. Garrett gently rubbed her leg to wake her.

"Hey, you all right?" he asked.

"Just tired," she said, sitting up now and rubbing her eyes. "I didn't sleep so well last night."

"Oh, why not?" Garrett asked in concern, touching her hair.

"Um," she said, thinking up a lie. "Aria was out last night, so I left the door unlocked. Some drunk person stumbled in thinking it was their place. Just freaked me out."

"Why didn't you call me?" he asked. "I could have come over."

"It was late," she shrugged. "You already stayed at work late, I figured you'd be tired and I didn't want you to worry."

"So what?" he asked, smiling a little. "Let me do the concerned-cop-boyfriend thing."

"Boyfriend?" she asked him.

"If you want," he offered. "I was hoping we could talk about that." Before she could answer, there was a knock at the door. "I got it," he said, getting up from the couch. After what he heard about from last night he was worried about who might be showing up at her place. When he opened up the door, he was surprised to see who was standing there with a duffel bag. The person seemed equally surprised to see him.

"Hey Reynolds," Quinn heard Jason's voice saying. She whipped her head around to see Jason standing her her doorway, bag in hand.

"Oh boy," Quinn sighed. Things were about to get even more complicated.

**thanks for reading! please let me know what you thought! :) **


	4. Broken Apology

**thanks so so so much for the reviews/follows! :) i love hearing your thoughts. hope you like this update :) **

_Broken Apology_

"I thought you weren't coming back till next week," Garrett said to Jason, trying to break the tension. "For the memorial?"

Quinn couldn't find any words right now. The guys stood in the doorway awkwardly, not sure what else to say to each other. It was obvious why Garrett was there. And, it appeared to Garrett, that Jason had decided to surprise Quinn since he didn't know about the phone call the night before. Quinn got up from the couch now, walking over to the doorway.

"Thought I'd get back early," Jason answered him, though he was looking at Quinn when he said this. "Guess that was a mistake." Without another word, Jason angrily turned to leave down the hallway. His best friend and his ex? It was shocking regardless, but especially after the messages he had been getting from Quinn, crying and saying that she needed him, that she was sorry.

"Hey," Garrett said, going to follow him. Quinn leaned out the doorway to watch as Garrett walked after Jason. "Don't get mad at her man, no one's heard from you in a year." As Garrett finished saying this, Jason whipped around and punched him in the face, causing Garrett to stumble back. His hands were immediately full of blood as he held his nose.

"Oh my God, Jason!" Quinn said, hurrying out into the hall. Jason didn't say anything as he turned again to go. Behind him, Aria had just come back from the homecoming dance, having been dropped off by Hanna. She was covering her mouth with her hand in surprise since she had seen Jason punch Garrett. Jason nodded at her as he walked by, flexing his hand as he walked out of the building.

"What happened?" Aria asked as Quinn had Garrett sit down and lean against the wall.

"You saw it," Quinn said, checking out Garrett's nose. "God, it's broken." She turned to Aria. "Can you run in and grab some ice?" She helped Garrett to his feet. "We gotta get you to the hospital."

"I'm fine Quinn," he told her.

"Here," Aria said, bringing out a dishrag full of ice, as well as Quinn's keys.

"Your nose is gushing," Quinn told him, placing the ice pack over his nose. "Come on."

* * *

Quinn and Garrett got back late that night, a few hours later. Feeling responsible for what happened, Quinn insisted that he stay over at her place that night. Garrett was hesitant at first, since he hadn't stayed over with her before. After the doctor gave him some pain killers though, he began to loosen up. Despite having a broken nose, he was smiling as Quinn opened the door to the apartment. Aria was wide awake still on the couch in her pajamas, unable to sleep in the apartment alone.

"Hey Aria," Garrett said, a bit loopy from the pills as he came into the apartment. There was a bandage on his nose and his eyes were black, a consequence of the broken nose. "Did you know your sister is going to be an awesome nurse?"

"Oh really?" Aria asked, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

"She's the best," Garrett said, putting an arm around Quinn's shoulders once she properly locked the door. "You are babe."

"Thank you," she told him, kissing his cheek. "Why don't you go lay down, I need to talk to my sister."

"Sure," he grinned. "Night Aria."

"Night," Aria told him as Garrett went into Quinn's room. Once the door shut, Quinn started rooting through her purse. "What are you looking for?" Quinn didn't answer as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "Ew, Quinn, you're smoking again?"

"To say I'm stressed out is a major understatement," Quinn said, going over to the large window in the living room. She opened it the whole way, climbing out onto the fire escape. Aria stayed inside, but sat on the windowsill to be closer to her sister.

"Fair enough," Aria agreed as Quinn lit her cigarette. "So, what happened tonight?"

"I saw Emily at the hospital," Quinn changed the subject, taking a drag. "Her mom said she fell?"

"It's a long story," Aria said.

"Well, so is mine," Quinn said back.

"I asked first." Quinn rolled her eyes at her sister.

"I guess, since I called Jason last night, he wanted to come over to make sure I was safe."

"That's sweet," Aria commented. "Right?"

"Well, yeah," Quinn said, continuing to smoke. "Until Garrett answered the door and Jason got pissed off." She shrugged. "You saw the rest."

"And, Garrett's nose is broken?"

"He's lucky his orbital bone isn't fractured too," Quinn muttered, finishing her cigarette.

"I'm seeing Jason tomorrow," Aria said as Quinn crawled back through the window. He was meeting with the girls to talk about Allison's memorial. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No, it's ok," Quinn shook her head. "If anyone should talk to him, it needs to be me." She paused. "Wait, you knew Jason was coming back this weekend?"

"I thought he was just going to be crashing at Ian's," Aria explained. "And, I thought that you knew. I had no idea he'd just show up _here_." She shrugged, remembering Jason had been carrying a bag. "Or, that he planned to stay with you. I'm sorry."

"Trust me, it's the last thing on my mind," Quinn said, hugging her sister. "Good night."

Quinn went over to her room, opening the door quietly as she assumed Garrett would already be asleep. She was right, his pain medication and head injury making him extremely drowsy. She changed for bed quietly, climbing in next to him under the covers. This was strange for her; after all, she had never slept over with anyone but Jason. She remembered her last night with Jason, his first and last at this apartment as Garrett turned over and placed his hand on her waist.

* * *

_Flashback, 1 year ago_

Quinn laid there on her side, watching Jason sleep. He had just helped her move in the night before, then had stayed over as she expected. For the last few days, she had been getting even more messages from A; they were worse than the others. The previous texts threatened to out her to her mother and sister, telling them she knew of her father's affair. Now, however, A had taken it to a much crueler level. Quinn had to break up with Jason by today, or Aria would_ end up like Alison_. Just as she was relaxing back into sleep, her phone went off.

_Tick tock Quinn - A_

"Who is it?" Jason asked sleepily, his eyes still closed; both of them were edgy these days when their phones went off. Quinn sighed, setting her phone back on her nightstand.

"Just my mom," she lied, laying there and facing him. He opened his eyes, smiling at her as he rested his hand over hers.

"Watching me sleep?" he grinned at her, teasing. "That's a bit stalker-ish."

"Better me than someone else," Quinn said ominously, not making eye contact with him.

"Hey," Jason squeezed her hand. "We're all right." He gave her a reassuring smile, knowing she felt safer when he stayed with her. "I'll come home every weekend if you want me to." While Quinn went to Hollis, Jason went to school out of state. It was a month since Alison disappeared and his parents had left Rosewood. The plan was, at the end of the year when Jason graduated, was for him to move into the apartment as well.

"It's not going to make a difference," she mumbled, tossing the blankets off and getting out of bed. Dressed in her usual night clothes of a tank top and shorts, she paced the room. She couldn't believe that she was about to do this, but she knew A's reach and needed to keep her sister safe. After Alison disappeared, it seemed like anything was possible.

"Hey," Jason said, sitting up in her bed now. He was wearing his gym shorts, but he wasn't wearing his shirt. "What's going on with you?"

"I can't do this anymore Jason," she said, continuing to pace.

"You want to go to the police?" he asked skeptically with raised eye brows. "Because you know what that means. I get busted for possession, your sister and her friends go down for the Jenna thing, your dad's affair comes out-"

"Not that," she shook her head, cutting him off. "This." She made a hand motion between them.

"Excuse me?" he asked, getting out of bed now and going over to her. She backed away, grabbing his shirt from the chair in the room and tossing it at his bare chest.

"I think you should go."

"You want to tell me what I did wrong first?" he asked, pulling his shirt over his head.

"You didn't do anything wrong," she shook her head quickly; it was the truth.

"Then, what the hell is going on?" he demanded. "Is this an A thing?"

"No," she lied. "I've just been having a lot of thoughts lately, about what my dad did to my mom..."

"Your dad is a rotten prick for what he did to your mom," he said with blatant honesty. "And for what he's asked you to keep from your family. I'd _never_ put you through that."

"My mom thought that too, about my dad," she continued with her lie. "And look what happened."

"You can't be serious Quinn," Jason insisted. Without a word, she opened her bedroom door, looking at her feet. In frustration, Jason grabbed his bag from the floor and stormed out, slamming the door the the apartment behind him. Once he was gone, Quinn broke down into tears.

* * *

"Quinn," she heard Garrett saying softly as he gently shook her should to wake her. "Quinn."

"Mmm?" she mumbled.

"I'm heading into work," he told her; it was early Sunday morning. "Thanks, for last night."

"Uh huh," she nodded, keeping her eyes closed; he kissed her forehead, leaving the apartment. Quinn got up awhile later, with Aria already awake and making breakfast.

"Morning," Aria greeted as Quinn came into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and taking out an apple. "That's all you want? I was making eggs."

"I feel sick," Quinn brushed her off, slicing the apple.

"You're thinking too much into it," Aria insisted about the Garrett and Jason thing, moving the eggs to a plate. "Which one do you want to be with?"

"It's not that simple," Quinn replied, taking her sliced apple on a plate out to the table. Aria followed, sitting across from her.

"Sure it is," Aria nodded, taking a bite of her food. "Look, all odds were against me and Ezra but we wanted to be together so we were together." She shrugged. "Now he doesn't want to be with me, so we're not together."

"You didn't break up with Ezra with little explanation, then start dating his best friend a year later," Quinn muttered, eating an apple slice; Aria looked at her in confusion.

"I thought Jason broke up with you," Aria said curiously. The whole reason she thought it was kind of ok for Quinn to go with Garrett was that Jason had left her, because if he left her he shouldn't care who she dated. It was a little different now if she left him and then started dating his friend.

"That's what everyone _thought_," Quinn said. Everyone had thought that he had broken up with her because Jason was the one to leave town and hadn't spoken to anyone in almost a year. They all figured it was because of his family's hard time with the loss of Alison.

"Oh my God, Quinn," Aria said; Quinn waved her off.

"Don't, all right?" She shook her head. "My head is already spinning." She sighed. "What is going on with you and Ezra?"

"He wants to be with me, but can't," Aria mumbled, sipping her coffee. "Rules and consequences and such."

"Maybe that's smart," Quinn offered; Aria set down her coffee cup.

"Do you still have his friend's number?" Aria asked sarcastically. "Maybe I'll just call him up." Quinn got up from the table, shoving her chair under it. "Quinn, I'm sorry." Quinn waved her off, going into her room and slamming the door shut. Quinn didn't talk to Aria the rest of the morning, with Aria leaving with Hanna to go over to Spencer's house. The girls all got there before Jason, sitting around the kitchen counter and talking.

"Did Emily's mom call you?" Aria asked Spencer.

"She said she's going to be fine," Spencer assured them. "Nothing to worry about."

"Good," Hanna smirked, looking to Aria. "Because there's something else I think we need to talk about."

"It isn't funny Hanna," Aria said in annoyance. On the way to Spencer's, Aria spilled to Hanna what had happened the night before between Jason and Garrett.

"What's going on?" Spencer asked curiously, looking between the girls.

"You know how her sister is dating Garrett?" Hanna asked Spencer, who nodded. "Well, Jason showed up at the apartment last night and broke Garrett's nose."

"Shut up!" Spencer said, looking to Aria. With everything going on with A, they needed a good bit of gossip. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," they heard Jason's voice saying as he came into the kitchen. The girls all blushed, looking away embarrassed. "Your housekeeper let me in Spence, hope that's ok."

"Uh huh," she nodded quickly. "So, did you want to see the program for the memorial?"

"Sure," Jason said, taking the paper from her with his slightly bruised hand.

"Wow," Hanna commented. "You really nailed him."

"Hanna," Aria quietly scolded, elbowing her. She was regretting telling her friend about last night's incident now.

"It looks good girls," Jason said, handing the program back to Spencer and ignoring the other girls. "I'm glad you're all going to speak. The bench was a good idea." He nodded his head at the door. "I'm gonna head out, all right?"

"Already?" Spencer asked curiously.

"I trust you girls with the memorial," Jason assured them. "And, truthfully, I need to go talk to the police about the investigation." Jason left the girls whispering to each other as he left. He wasn't too happy when he got to the police station and found out the detective they had assigned to his sister's case was Darren Wilden. After all, Garrett's nose wasn't the first he had broken over Quinn.

* * *

Once she heard Aria leave, Quinn came out of her room, dressed in cut off shorts and red t-shirt under a black zip up hoodie; her hair was pulled back in a pony tail, something she rarely did. She knew that the last thing she should do right now is fight with her sister along with everything else, but Aria's comment earlier about calling an ex's friend had stung. She thought about it the entire way to the police station. When she went back out into the apartment, she had seen that Garrett had forgotten his gym bag that morning and she planned to drop it off, since he always worked out after work.

"Hey," Garrett said as she got to his desk, standing up to greet her. "What are you doing here?"

"You forgot this," Quinn told him, handing him the gym bag.

"Oh, thanks babe," he said, pulling on the bag to bring her in so he could kiss her once. "I'll see you for dinner?"

"Sure," she nodded. She was distracted by two arguing male voices coming from an office down the hall. "What's going on?"

"Uh," Garrett said, a little hesitant. "Jason's in there with Dar...Detective Wilden, talking about Alison's case." The door to Darren's office swung open and Jason came out of the office.

"Cases take time DiLaurentis," Detective Wilden called after him. "Can't go around making threats and punching out cops." Darren knew Jason was the one that had punched Garrett, digging at him intentionally. Jason ignored him, leaving the police station.

"I'm going to go," Quinn said, preparing to leave.

"Maybe you should wait a minute," Garrett said in concern. He didn't know this, but Quinn had hoped to run into Jason outside.

"He's not going to do anything," Quinn said, knowing what he was thinking; Jason would never hurt her. She gave him a quick kiss, leaving the station. Just like she expected, she ran into Jason in the parking lot that was off to the side of the building. It was mid-afternoon on a Sunday, so the street was mostly quiet with few people being out.

"Jay," she said, coming up behind him as he got to his car.

"Don't Quinn," he warned, turning around to look at her. "Not right now."

"Are you ever going to talk to me?" she asked as he opened his car door.

"You wanna talk?" Jason said, slamming his car door shut and looking to her again. "Ok, let's talk. What the hell are you doing with Reynolds?"

"We've been dating a week," Quinn told him. "Shit, you're acting like we're married or something."

"It doesn't matter," Jason insisted. "We dated for, what, four years? And now you're dating my best friend like it's no big deal."

"I didn't think it would be this big of an issue," Quinn explained, brushing a piece of hair out of her face.

"Then you didn't think at all," Jason snapped at her; Quinn was silent. There was a nagging little part of her that told her that she was wrong. After all, how would she feel if Jason started to date one of her friends? Not to mention the fact that Jason had been the one she had been turning to the last few weeks when she was in crisis.

"Does he know you called me the other night?" Jason asked.

"No," Quinn admitted.

"Guess it's a bigger deal than you think," Jason offered. "Isn't it?" He shook his head at her. "I'm out of here."

"Jason," she said as he got into his car. He rolled down the window once he started the car.

"What?" he demanded. She had seen him get angry plenty of times, but it was hardly ever directed at her.

"I don't know what you want me to do," she said back. "Break up with him? Is that what you want?"

"Don't do that," he shook his head. "Don't use me as an excuse so you don't have to feel guilty."

"It's been a year," she said, diverting the subject from her guilt. "It can't make you this upset." He scoffed at her.

"Tell you what," he said, leaning against the window with one arm. "Next time you're in bed with Reynolds, why don't you ask him how serious I was about you?" He turned, putting his car into drive. "Then you'll get it." He sped off, leaving Quinn in the parking lot alone.

* * *

That night, Quinn was back at the apartment with Aria. The girls had made up, agreeing that their fight was ridiculous and that they needed to stick together. When Garrett showed up with Chinese take out, Aria had excused herself to her room to study. Quinn had been ranting to her about Jason, how he said she needed to talk to Garrett about how serious he was about her, _whatever that meant_ she kept repeating. Thanks to Alison's snooping, Aria knew what the big secret was and had never told her sister because she didn't want Quinn to feel worse about the break up.

She stayed in her room because she wasn't sure she wanted to be around when the truth came out. Before, she had thought that it was all right for Quinn to date Garrett. This was back when she thought that the break up was Jason's idea. Now that she knew that Quinn had called things off and she knew how Jason felt about her sister, Aria was a little less team Garrett and a little more team Jason.

* * *

_Flashback, last summer_

"Can you keep a secret?" Ali asked Aria as they laid in her room on her bed, watching a movie. Hanna was away at camp and Spencer was at a family dinner. Emily was spending time with her dad who was about to be deployed. Aria liked spending time with Alison one on one because she didn't seem nearly as nasty as she could be when she was in a group.

"Sure," Aria shrugged, figuring this was one of Ali's many half secrets she told to keep her friends curious. Alison got up to grab her phone from her dresser, opening the pictures folder.

"Guess what I found the other night in my brother's room," she said, revealing the picture to Aria. Aria's mouth dropped open in shock as she took the phone from Alison and observed the picture. The photo was of an engagement ring Jason had bought for Quinn.

"I mean, I have no idea why she'd say yes," Alison continued, not thinking too highly of her brother. "But, if she does, we'll be sisters."

**thanks for reading! please let me know what you thought! :) **


	5. Memories

**thanks so so so much for the reviews/follows/favorite! :) it means so much to me! hope you like this update :) **

_Memories_

_Flashback - Age 17_

Jason had left for his first year of college while Quinn was starting her senior year of high school. He came home that weekend to surprise her for her eighteenth birthday. They had still been keeping their relationship low key, considering they knew that Quinn's parents wouldn't be too crazy about the idea. However, they planned to tell the Montgomerys about them soon, with Quinn planning to play the _I'm eighteen years old_ card. For now, Jason was content with climbing the tree in the Montgomery backyard to Quinn's window, knocking on it gently. Laying on her bed and reading, she jumped a little when she heard the knock but smiled when she saw who it was as she got up to open the window for him.

"What are you doing?" she giggled as she helped him inside.

"Well, can't exactly come to the front door," he said quietly; it was a few minutes until midnight. When her alarm clock clicked over to midnight, he pulled her in to kiss her. "Happy birthday."

* * *

Jason had been crashing at Ian's for a few days. Ian had started seeing Melissa again, so Jason mostly had the place to himself. At one point, Aria came over with a plate of brownies and he figured it was because she felt bad about what happened. Having an interview that day, he went over to the sisters' apartment that morning to return the plate. As he pulled up to the building, he saw Garrett leaving with Aria, probably because he offered her a ride to school. Garrett was no longer wearing the bandage on his nose, but his nose and eyes were both still bruised.

Once they had gone, Jason went into the building and up to the apartment, where he found the door to be unlocked. When he went in, he could hear movement in the kitchen. Quinn was in there, dressed in her gym clothes and she had her headphones in; Aria had taken her cigarettes and told her if she needed to blow off steam that she needed to go to the gym to do it. She was bouncing around the kitchen, singing along to her music. Jason bit his lip to keep from laughing as he watched her. She eventually turned, nearly jumping out of her skin when she saw him.

"Holy shit!" she exclaimed, throwing her water bottle at him.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"You freakin' scared me," she said, pulling her head phones out. "What are you doing here?" He offered her the plate; she took it and tossed it into the sink.

"You should really keep the door locked," he told her, nodding his head over at the entrance to the apartment.

He wanted to ask if she had talked to Garrett yet, but he figured since he saw Garrett leaving that morning he wouldn't like the answer. Either she hadn't asked him because she would rather be with Garrett, or she had asked him and didn't care about how Jason had felt about her. The truth was, she hadn't asked because she was afraid to know what the big secret was.

"Do you have time for breakfast or something before class?" he asked her. His interview at the high school for a counseling job wasn't until eleven.

"I don't have class until noon," she answered with her classes Wednesday starting later than other days. "But, I'm heading to the gym." She rolled her eyes. "Aria's making me sub it for smoking."

"Better for you," Jason shrugged, finally picking her water bottle up and tossing it to her.

"You're really one to talk," Quinn said sarcastically.

"I'm clean now," he told her; Quinn wasn't sure how to answer. After all, their break up didn't have to do with his drug use. She was happy he had stopped, but it didn't make much of a difference in their relationship now.

"What are you up to today?" she asked, politely yet awkwardly.

"I have an interview over at the high school," he answered. "Counseling job."

"Thinking of moving back to Rosewood?" she asked curiously; he nodded.

"I'm crashing at Ian's till I find my own place," he explained. "Hopefully this job works out."

"Well, good luck with that," she said, grabbing her keys from the hook in the kitchen. She nodded at the door and he followed her out.

"Are you coming to the memorial on Saturday?" he asked her as she locked the door.

"Yeah," she nodded, having planned to go for her sister and the girls. "I'll be there." He nodded, not having much else to say. They walked out the building silently together, going their separate ways once they got to the front of the building.

Quinn decided to go running around town instead of the treadmills at the school gym since it was such a nice day. With it being the middle of the morning, the town was pretty quiet with most people being in school or at work. She took at turn on main street, allowing her thoughts to wander as she ran.

She couldn't believe that the _group_ was all back in town. She was obviously still in school and Garrett was working in the local police department. Through Aria she learned that Ian had taken a coaching job at the high school and Jason was about to work there as well. Spencer told her that Melissa was back at home while she had her place re-done in the city. Thinking of Melissa and Ian, Quinn could have sworn that she was imagining seeing them walking out of the courthouse.

"Quinn?" Melissa asked, coming down the steps, arm in arm with Ian. Ian was wearing a suit and Melissa was wearing a short white dress.

"Hi," Quinn said, slowing down and catching her breath as she took her headphones out. She looked at them both skeptically. "What are you guys doing?" Melissa and Ian both smiled big.

"We eloped," Melissa grinned, squeezing Ian's arm.

"Wow," Quinn commented with genuine shock. After Ian broke up with Melissa last summer she was sure that Melissa would never speak to him again. Quinn wondered if this had anything to do with Melissa's recent broken off engagement. "Congrats."

"Thanks!" Melissa smiled at her. Quinn couldn't remember the last time Melissa smiled at her genuinely. Though they were connected through the same group of guys, that was the only reason they hung out. Other than that, they didn't really like each other. "Hey, we should all hang out again like we used to! We could all watch movies in the barn or something."

"Maybe," Ian said, seeming less sure than his new wife considering Quinn's current boyfriend situation.

"Yeah," Quinn said, equally unsure. She doubted they could ever get Jason and Garrett in the same room again safely. "I'm gonna go, but I'll see you guys around."

They waved as she ran back to her building so she could shower before class. She couldn't believe that Ian and Melissa had just gotten married. She wondered if Spencer or her parents even knew. After everything that happened last summer, a lot of stuff was hard to believe though. After their break up, she never thought Melissa and Ian would get back together, much less get married. She never thought that her and Jason would break up, and she certainly never thought she would now be dating Garrett.

* * *

_Flashback - last summer_

Garrett showed up at the bar that night, expecting good news. Jason had called and asked him to meet, not saying what it was about. However, he knew that Jason was planning on asking Quinn to marry him that night. He had expected to see both of them there to celebrate as well as their other friends, but he found Jason sitting at the bar alone. Garrett thought it was a little strange, but went over to sit with him anyway.

"So," Garrett said, taking the bar stool next to Jason. "Are we waiting on Ian, guys celebrating only?"

"Not celebrating man," Jason said grimly, taking a sip of his beer. Garrett could tell by his demeanor that this wasn't his first drink of the night. Jason took the ring out of his pocket, tossing the felt box at Garrett who caught it. "Know anyone that needs a ring?"

"Did she say no?" Garrett asked in shock.

"Didn't get a chance to ask," Jason continued, finishing off his beer. "She dumped me this morning."

"Why?" Garrett asked, still surprised. While he had always liked Quinn, he knew how much her and Jason loved each other. This break up seemed to come out of no where. Garrett also knew how hard this must be with Alison recently having disappeared.

"Does it matter?" Jason asked back with a shrug.

* * *

"Garrett," Quinn said, breaking his train of thought. He had come over again that night and they ordered pizza. Aria was with the other girls, finishing up for the memorial that was going to be this weekend. Garrett seemed distracted, not really eating his food. "You all right?"

"Fine," he nodded, giving her a half smile. "Work stuff." She nodded, seeming uneasy herself. "It's crazy about Ian and Melissa, huh?"

"I need to ask you something," she said suddenly, ignoring what he said about Ian and Melissa. She had been thinking of Jason since that morning and she couldn't take not knowing any more.

"Ok," Garrett said, a bit confused. "What is it?"

"The other day when I left the police station me and Jason got in a huge fight," she started to explain. "I asked him what the big deal was, about me and you, and he told me I should ask you how serious he was about me." Each time she remembered this, her face scrunched up in confusion. "What does that even mean?" Garrett sighed heavily, not sure if she would be happy with the answer. She asked though and he couldn't lie to her. "Garrett?"

"A few weeks before Alison disappeared, Jason dragged me and Ian to the mall," Garrett started to tell her. "To get our opinion..."

"Opinion on what?" she asked as he hesitated.

"On an engagement ring," Garrett confessed; Quinn was stunned. "He was going to ask you Labor Day weekend, but then his sister disappeared. So, he was waiting to ask you the first weekend he came home from school when he helped you move in."

"When I broke up with him," Quinn remembered quietly; Garrett nodded. "And, you knew all of this when you asked me out?"

"It had been a year," Garrett said as he tried to explain. Quinn got up from the table, nervously pacing and running her hands through her long hair. "I didn't think he would come back to Rosewood-"

"You just hoped he'd never find out?" Quinn asked him. "Your best friend...Oh my God..." She took a deep breath, unable to believe this. Just then, Aria came home and could immediately sense that something was wrong.

"What's going on?" Aria asked, looking between her sister and Garrett. Quinn shut the pizza box, grabbing the plates from the table.

"Garrett was leaving," Quinn said, taking the plates into the kitchen.

"Quinn, I'm sorry," Garrett said, getting up to follow her. Aria had a pretty good idea of what happened, considering she had been waiting since Sunday for the truth to come out. "Hey," he said, taking her arm. "Talk to me."

"Please don't touch me," Quinn said, knocking his hand away.

"Quinn-"

"Garrett, I will re-break your nose if you don't just leave," she snapped at him. He backed off, leaving the apartment as Aria watched him with raised eye brows. Once he left, Aria went into the kitchen where Quinn was furiously doing the dishes.

"Is...everything ok?" Aria asked her sister who had her back to her.

"Who _does_ that?" Quinn snapped, turning around and leaning back against the counter. "Who asks out the girl their best friend was going to propose to?"

"A guy that's been in love with you since he was fifteen?" Aria offered, feeling a bit conflicted. She knew Garrett never wanted to hurt her sister, that he really did care about her.

"That doesn't make it ok," Quinn went on. "I mean, God, Jason was going to ask me to marry him." She ran a hand through her hair. "Oh my God, he was going to ask me to _marry_ him." She looked at Aria. "Did you know?" Aria nodded, biting her lip in hesitation. "Who all knew?"

"Um," Aria said hesitantly, afraid her sister would be mad. "Alison told me, a week before she went missing." She was quiet for a moment. "Are you mad?"

"No, you didn't try to date me," Quinn told her, leaving the kitchen and going to the couch. "Ugh, he was _dating_ me," she said, collapsing on the couch. Aria went over, leaning over the back of the couch. She didn't say anything at first, then Quinn's phone went off.

"Maybe it's Jason," Aria offered.

"I don't know if that makes me feel better," Quinn mumbled, pulling her phone from her back pocket. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

"What?" Aria asked, taking the phone from her.

_The truth doesn't always set you free - A_

"I hate that bitch," Quinn muttered as Aria handed her back her phone.

"Are you going to talk to Jason?" Aria asked curiously.

"What's it matter now?" Quinn complained. "Jason probably hates me."

"He doesn't _hate_ you," Aria insisted, knowing that could never be the case. They were silent again. "Would you have said yes?"

"Again, what's it matter now?" Quinn repeated; Aria raised her eye brows at her and Quinn sighed. "Of course I would have."

"Then, you should talk to him," Aria told her.

"Can we talk about something else?" Quinn begged, making room for her sister on the couch. "What's new with you?"

"Hanna wants me to go out with her, Sean, and Noel tomorrow night," Aria sighed, humoring her sister by changing the subject. "I don't know if I'm going to go."

"Why not?" Quinn asked. "You've liked Noel since you were in middle school." She paused. "And...you're single."

"I don't know," Aria shrugged. "It seems...soon."

"It's just a date," Quinn went on. "Try it out, see how you feel. Like I said, you always liked Noel."

"You always liked Jason," Aria said back; Quinn gave her a look. "I'll call Noel if you call Jason."

"If it will get you to go out tomorrow," Quinn said, picking up her phone. She wanted to add, _with someone that's age appropriate_, but kept her thoughts to herself since she didn't need to be fighting with her sister now too. When she dialed Jason, she got his voice mail; she wasn't surprised that, with what she put him through, he didn't answer.

"Hey Jason," she sighed into the phone. "I just...really need to talk to you. Call me back, ok?" She hung up her phone, then took Aria's from the coffee table and tossed it to her. "You're turn."

Aria went out the next night with Noel, Hanna, and Sean. Before she left for the the concert, she had seen Quinn anxiously awaiting a phone call from Jason. When she had left, Jason still hadn't returned Quinn's call. Judging by how Quinn was acting when she got back, she figured that he hadn't gotten back to her yet. At this point, after what happened, Quinn wasn't sure she was going to hear from him.

The memorial was Saturday afternoon, held inside the high school since it was raining outside. Aria sat next to her sister with her friends, watching them each make their speeches about Alison. Jason was sitting in the front as well, just on the other side. Once the memorial ended, everyone began to clear out of the multi-purpose room. Quinn told Aria she would meet up with her, catching up with Jason in the hallway. He was walking among a row of lockers alone.

"Jason," she said, catching up with him. He had stopped in front of one locker, just looking at it. "Your old locker?" She laughed a little.

"Remember it was closer to most of your classes?" he recalled, smiling a little as he turned to her. "So, you moved in."

"Such a big relationship step," she laughed. "Moving in lockers."

"Like college students moving in together," he mused. Quinn felt a little awkward now since they had planned to move in together before the break up. "So."

"So...what?"

"You wanted to talk to me," he reminded her; she nodded.

"I'm really sorry Jason."

"For what?" he asked; she sighed.

"About your sister," she said, motioning back to the multi-purpose room. "About last summer, about Garrett."

"I take it you asked him," Jason observed; Quinn nodded quietly. "I just thought you should know."

"I wish you would have told me," she said softly.

"Would it have changed anything?" he asked.

"It just changed everything," she told him, referencing her break up with Garrett. Jason had found out what happened through Ian when he was moving his stuff out of the apartment to go live with Melissa in the Hastings' barn.

"I meant back then," Jason explained. "I'm not stupid Quinn, I know it didn't have anything to do with your parents. It was A." Quinn didn't say anything, knowing he had figured her out; he always could. "And...since it's A." He sighed. "I think things with us should stay how they are."

"Jay." She knew that a lot had happened in the last year, that things couldn't go back to how they were before. She was hoping that they could at least talk though. Before he said anything, he kissed her cheek.

"Let me know if you need anything," he told her before walking away.

**thanks for reading! please let me know what you thought of the update! :)**


	6. Desperation

**thanks so much for the reviews! so happy to hear from you as always. hope you like this chapter :) **

_Desperation_

It had been a few weeks since the memorial. Jason and Quinn hadn't spoken, only making polite conversation when they saw each other in public. Quinn was glad that she hadn't heard much from A, but she was nervous about how many texts Aria had been receiving. There wasn't anything for them to do except deal with it one text at a time; after all, what could you do against someone you didn't know?

What Aria hadn't told Quinn though was that she had a chance to find out who A was that night at a camping trip for Hanna's friend's birthday. Aria hadn't told her sister because she knew that Quinn would try to stop her. That Friday afternoon, Aria was packing her bag as Quinn came in, carrying flowers that had been left by the door.

"Those from Jason?" Aria asked from the couch where she had her things to pack spread out, a bit hopeful. Since the memorial she had been rooting for a reunion. Quinn took the card out and read it, rolling her eyes.

"Garrett," Quinn answered, tossing the flowers and the card in the trash.

"He seems really sorry," Aria offered and Quinn gave her a look. "Not that you should go back out with him or anything."

"Just forget about him," Quinn mumbled, tossing her keys and books on the kitchen table. "What are you doing?"

"Camping trip tonight," Aria reminded her. "For Mona's birthday."

"Ah, right," Quinn nodded, sipping from her water bottle. "Is Mona as bad as her sister?" Quinn had graduated with Mona's older sister who she always seemed to have a thing against. Neither of them remembered how it started, they just disliked each other.

"She's just friends with Hanna," Aria shrugged, zipping her bag shut. "She's harmless."

"Ugh," Quinn groaned, sitting at the table and resting her head on it.

"What?" Aria asked curiously.

"My little sister is off to a party and I have the social life of a shut in," Quinn complained, sitting up.

"Maybe you should call Jason."

"Maybe you should drop it."

"Come on Quinn," Aria insisted.

"It's more complicated then you think," Quinn told her, preparing to change the subject. She couldn't get into it with her sister about how A threatened her and the secrets A knew about her. "Do you need a ride to the camp ground?"

"No, Spencer actually just got here," Aria said, checking her phone. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Quinn waved as her sister left the apartment, sighing to herself; she felt lonely. Thinking it would make her feel better, she called Ella in Iceland, with it being nearly nine o'clock at night there with the time difference. However, hearing her mom gush about Europe, her dad, and the romantic weekend trips they would take to various countries only made her feel even sadder. Soon after she hung up, she got a text message from A.

_Wonder who will break mommy's heart more:_  
_Daddy for cheating, or you for lying? - A_

Quinn groaned, dropping her phone face down on the table and running her hands through her hair, what she did when she was nervous. How could this keep happening to her? She wanted to call Jason, but figured it would be a bad idea. After all, with the A threat, they had agreed to keep her distance. He did say that she could come to him with anything though. As she continued to contemplate this, her phone started ringing. Seeing it was Ezra's friend Hardy, she was a little confused but answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

_"Hey, Quinn?"_ Hardy said when she answered.

"Um, yeah," Quinn said hesitantly. "What's up?"

_"Sorry I waited so long to call you,"_ Hardy explained. _"Didn't know how serious you and your Garrett were."_ He laughed a little, remembering how she had explained her relationship situation to him. _"I'm sorry if he's stepped up to boyfriend now, I just thought I'd give it a shot." _

"He's actually stepped out not up," Quinn said, smiling a little.

_"Well, I guess my timing is perfect,"_ Hardy grinned. _"Can I pick you up in a little, say around eight?"_

"That would be great," Quinn agreed.

* * *

Quinn got ready for her date that night, wearing a black mini skirt and a loose purple top that hung off her shoulder, the sleeves stopping at her elbow. She had just finished her make up when Hardy texted her to say that he was downstairs. When she got there he was wearing clothes similar to what he wore the night she met him, jeans and a button down shirt.

"You look great," he told her, looking her up and down once.

"Thanks," she smiled at him. "So, what's the plan?"

"I thought we would go to Joe's," he explained, referring to the popular college bar where they had met. "I was supposed to meet up with a group for drinks, I thought it would be fun."

"Sounds great," she agreed, letting him take her hand.

It was only a few blocks to the bar so they walked, with Quinn figuring neither of them wanted to have to be designated driver that night. Quinn was having a good time with Hardy and his friends, letting herself unwind after all the stress of A, Jason, Garrett, and school. She was having so much fun, she didn't even notice her phone going off in her bag. What she did notice was someone watching her from the other side of the bar.

_Garrett?,_ she thought silently to herself. There was no way he was stalking her. He might be desperately sending her flowers and cards but he wouldn't take it to this level. _Would he?_

"Hey," Hardy said, getting her attention as he put an arm around her shoulders. "You ok?" She glanced back and the person watching her was gone.

"Fine," Quinn smiled, putting her arm around his middle.

They continued to have fun with Hardy's friends, drinking well past their limit. Hardy kept his arm around her as he walked her home, both of them stumbling a little and laughing at the most random things along the way. One of the funniest parts for Quinn seemed to be trying to make it up the stairs of the stoop in front of her building.

"Careful," Hardy chuckled, helping her up the last step before steadying her against the wall. She laughed a little as she leaned back against the wall, smiling at him.

"I had so much fun tonight," she said to him as he took her hand.

"Me too," he agreed. He glanced inside at the stairs in her building. "Are you sure you can make it up to your place ok?"

"Oh, I'll be fine," she nodded.

"You sure I can't help you up?" he grinned at her, that look on his face.

"Oh wow," she laughed. "What a line." She giggled squeezing his hand. "Not tonight."

"Next time," he continued to smile at her.

"Possibly," she said back. He leaned in to kiss her, pressing her against the wall as the kiss deepened. They continued to kiss on the front stoop, unaware of their surroundings due to a mix of alcohol and their passionate kissing.

"Ahem," they heard someone clearing their throat. Quinn was having flashbacks to when Aria and Spencer had caught her kissing Garrett on the front stoop. Instead of Aria though, it was Jason.

"Oh you've _got_ to be kidding me," Quinn complained, covering her face with her hands.

"Sorry to, uh, interrupt," Jason said, coming half way up the stoop. "But, Aria called me when she couldn't get a hold of you."

"Is everything ok?" Quinn asked, worried now.

"She's fine," Jason assured her quickly. "She's at the hospital with Hanna right now though."

"I can take you there," Hardy offered, though Jason could tell they were both drunk from the way they were unbalanced.

"I don't think either of you should drive anywhere," Jason told them.

"You should go home Hardy," Quinn said to him, releasing his hand. "I'll call you tomorrow, ok?"

"You sure?" he asked her; she nodded. "Let me know what's going on." He kissed her cheek, eyeing Jason as he walked down the rest of the stoop and heading towards his own apartment building. Quinn felt lucky for Hardy that Jason hadn't tried to break his nose. Then again, it wasn't like Hardy had gone after her after being life long friends with Jason.

"Can you drive me to the hospital?" Quinn asked Jason.

"It's what I'm here for," Jason said, holding up his keys; he was glad that she was ok, having been worried when Aria said she couldn't reach her. He had to help her down the stairs a bit, leading her over to his car and opening the door for her. They drove along in silence for awhile, neither of them acknowledging their previous awkward encounter on the stoop.

"He seems nice," Jason offered, driving along the streets of Rosewood to the hospital.

"Let's not go there," Quinn said, laying her head back against the seat. "God, why is the whole world spinning?"

"Because you're about this big," Jason told her, taking one hand off the wheel and holding his fingers about an inch apart. "And, I'm guessing you drank enough for a person about this big." He held his fingers as far apart as they would go.

"Bite me," Quinn told him, turning her head to glare. "You don't tell me about drinking too much."

"Fair enough," Jason shrugged, stopping at a red light. Quinn grabbed her purse from the floor of his car, rummaging through it for her phone. When she unlocked it, she saw how many missed calls she had from her younger sister.

"Oh my God!" Quinn complained, folding her arms so she could lay her head on them against the dashboard. "I'm the worst. Guardian. _Ever_."

"Not ever," Jason assured her, reaching one hand over and rubbing her back. When the light turned green, he took his hand back to continue driving. "There have been worse."

"Nuh uh," Quinn protested, sitting back up the whole way. Sitting up too fast, she had to hold her head in her hands as an attempt to make it stop spinning.

"You're her twenty one year old sister," Jason reasoned as he parked in the hospital parking lot. "Not her mother." He turned to look at her once he turned off the car. "You're doing fine."

"Whatever," Quinn said in disbelief, opening the door herself and stumbling out. Jason got out quickly, going to help her. "Ugh, I'm a mess," she complained as she steadied herself against him. "I'm sorry."

"You're doing fine Quinn," he repeated, putting an arm around her. Part of it was affection, the other part was to help keep her up as he lead her into the hospital. The elevator ride to the appropriate floor nearly made her sick and they had to stop at a trashcan on their way to the waiting room. Aria was sitting with Spencer and Emily, waiting for Hanna's mom to come back.

"Hey Quinn," Aria said, looking between her sister and Jason in confusion as Jason helped her over to the couch across from Aria and her friends. "You...ok?"

"Awesome," Quinn nodded, giving her a thumbs up. She was trying to play it cool, but it was blatantly obvious that she was wasted. Aria glanced over at Jason who made a hand motion that she had been drinking, which she had figured. "What happened to Hanna?"

"She got hit by a car," Aria started to explain, lowering her voice.

Quinn's mouth dropped open in an exaggerated way. Aria felt like if she explained the whole thing to Quinn now, she might not remember in the morning. As Aria had finished telling her this, Hanna's mom came out after speaking with the doctor for awhile about Hanna's condition. She stood behind the couch Quinn and Jason sat on and rested her hands against it, explaining everything that was broken and that Hanna might also have to have her spleen removed.

"I'm so sorry Ashley," Quinn said, slurring a little as she rested a hand on Ashley's; Jason pulled her hand back, shaking his head.

"But, Hanna's going to be all right?" Jason repeated, looking up at Ashley who nodded.

"You should probably take the girls home," Ashley said to Jason. "I'll text you girls in the morning."

Spencer and Emily had driven themselves, leaving Jason to drive Aria and Quinn back to their building. Quinn took the back seat, laying down as Jason drove them back to the apartment. Aria was exhausted, trying to be nice as she listened to her older sister ramble.

"I am so sorry I didn't answer you," Quinn apologized again and again. "I just...I was busy and my phone's not always loud."

"It's cool," Aria assured her, glancing over to Jason who was trying not to laugh. She gave him a look as if to say this wasn't funny.

"It's a little funny," he whispered to her, reading her face. When he got back to the building he helped Quinn up to her room, with her passing out not long after she hit her bed. When he left her bedroom, Aria was sitting at the table as she was wide awake with racing thoughts about Hanna and A. Jason took a seat at the table across from her.

"I'm guessing you know I know about A?" he asked her and she nodded. He figured what happened that night had to do with A. "You want me to crash here?" He was worried after what happened now that A had actually hurt one of the other girls; he didn't want anything to happen to Quinn or Aria. Aria nodded, grabbing a spare pillow and blanket for him to sleep on the couch.

* * *

The next morning, Quinn felt like she had been hit by a train. She rolled out of bed, still in her clothes from the night before. She changed into leggings and an over sized sweatshirt, piling her hair on her head in a messy bun. As she left her bed room, she could hear the water running in the bathroom. She figured it was Aria, going into the kitchen to pour herself some coffee.

"Morning sunshine," Aria said from the couch with her own cup of coffee.

"You're so loud," Quinn winced; then, she stopped. "Wait, if you're out here..." She turned when the bathroom door opened and Jason came out.

"Mornin' Quinn," Jason nodded at her. "How are you feeling?" She didn't answer, she only shook her head as if to say _don't ask_ as she went to sit next to her sister. "I figured as much," Jason said, grabbing his jacket. "I'll see you girls later."

"Thanks Jason," Quinn told him and he nodded as he left.

"Bye," Aria said as Jason left. Once he was gone, Aria turned to her sister. "So, how was your night?" She gave her a teasing smile. "Starting with one guy and ending up with another." Quinn gave her a confused look.

"How did you know about Hardy?" Quinn asked curiously.

"Well, because he drunk dialed you twice last night while you were passed out," Aria told her, then hesitated. "And...because Ezra told me." Quinn raised her eye brows at her.

"You saw Ezra last night?"

"We're...sort of back together," Aria shrugged.

"What about Noel?" Quinn asked.

"Noel might not be who everyone thinks he is," Aria told her.

"What happened last night?" Quinn asked. "Who hit Hanna?"

"We think it was A," Aria explained. Aria went on to tell her sister about how A was going to be at the party and how Hanna figured out who it was. Then, when she went to tell them, she got hit by the car. "Do you want to come to the hospital? To find out who it is." Quinn's phone started ringing; it was Garrett.

"I should get this," Quinn said, not telling her sister who it was. It started to come back to Quinn how she thought she saw Garrett when she was out last night. "You can take my car though." Aria thanked her sister, leaving the apartment as Quinn answered the phone.

_"Quinn?"_ Garrett said when she answered.

"Were you at Joe's last night?" Quinn immediately demanded; he didn't answer right away. "Forget it, I don't want to know."

_"Quinn, I'm sorry."_

"You have to stop doing this," Quinn ordered. "Stop calling, stop sending flowers, stop showing up places. Just stop." With that, she hung up on him. How could he be like this? After all, they had only dated for two weeks; granted, he had liked her for much longer. She knew that he was sorry, but this was starting to scare her. Just then, she got another text message from her least favorite person.

_It won't be that easy to get rid of either of us - A_

**thanks for reading as always! please let me know what you thought! :)**


	7. That Night

**thank you for the review, favorite and follows! :) hope you like this update! **

_That Night_

Quinn could hardly take it anymore, the secrets and the lying. What could she do to stop A though, without ruining her life and the people that she cared about? She was also starting to worry more about this whole situation with Garrett. It wasn't normal for someone to continue to behave like this, especially when they hadn't been together that long.

These thoughts, mixed with one serious hangover, made her head spin as she laid on the couch. She thought to call Jason, but she didn't know how to have that conversation. How did you call and ask one ex-boyfriend to protect you against another, especially when they used to be best friends? Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door, each knock making her head throb.

"Ugh, coming," Quinn muttered, peeling herself from the couch to answer the door. When she got there, Hardy was standing there with flowers. He was wearing what she assumed were his hangover clothes, old jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. She was still in hers, her leggings and big sweatshirt.

"Hey," she said, a little surprised; she noticed the multi-colored daisies. "Oh God, were those sitting outside my door?"

"No," Hardy said in confusion. "I got you these." He looked her over once. "Why did you think they were outside your door?"

"Ah," Quinn said, trying to think of a lie as she let him in. "Girl next door broke up with her boyfriend. He's been desperately sending her flowers everyday, sometimes they get delivered to the wrong place." Hardy nodded, setting them on the table.

"Well, these are _sorry I got you so drunk you couldn't help your sister_ flowers," Hardy explained. "I'm sorry about last night. Was everything ok?"

"Everything was fine," Quinn promised. She went over to sit on the couch and Hardy joined her. "And, you don't have to be sorry." She gave him a small smile. "I'm perfectly capable of making _bad, drink too much_ decisions on my own." Hardy nodded, noticing the glass of water on the coffee table next to the bottle of aspirin.

"Lazy hang over day?" Hardy asked her, a bit amused; Quinn nodded, laughing. "Mind if I crash it?"

"Not at all," Quinn told him, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch to share with him.

* * *

_Flashback, last summer_

Quinn stumbled out of Jason's room, angry. His parents were away and they had hosted a party earlier that evening while Alison and the other girls stayed in the Hastings' barn. After most of the people had gone, they stayed at the house and continued to drink. After awhile, Jason started smoking which he knew that she hated. Normally, she didn't say anything about it but tonight she was extremely drunk and they fought about it. Finally, she told him that she wasn't staying that night and stormed out of his room; he didn't follow her.

As she made her way down the hall, running a hand along the wall to keep balanced, she thought she heard Ian's voice in Alison's room and she rolled her eyes. She knew that the two of them together was inappropriate. But, after she had caught them once, Ian knew enough of her secrets to keep her quiet about it. At this point, it had gone on long enough that if she told Jason the truth he would probably be even angrier at her for keeping the secret.

Quinn stumbled out the front door, starting down the front walk of the DiLaurentis house. She saw Melissa coming down the sidewalk and Quinn steered clear of her. Since she and Ian broke up, her and Quinn hadn't had much contact; Quinn preferred to keep it that way. She assumed Melissa was walking home, since her house was right next door to Jason's; she didn't know Melissa had gone inside the DiLaurentis house.

Quinn walked down the sidewalk alone, crossing her arms over herself as the air began to chill. She was furious with Jason for smoking and was even angrier at him now for not coming after her, calling her, or anything. After walking three blocks, she turned the corner for her street, going down four houses. She was surprised to see her father walking up the front steps of the house so late. He was equally surprised to see her.

"Quinn?" he said in concern as she came up the steps, hanging onto the railing as she came up. "Are you all right?"

"I'm _fine_," she told him, reaching for the door; it was locked.

"Are you drunk?" he asked, looking her over. He wasn't going to open the door until they talked about what happened to her that night.

"I just want to go inside," she slurred.

"Were you with Jason?" he asked unhappily. Though she had told her parents about her relationship with Jason and they couldn't stop her, he still wasn't crazy about the idea. "He's not good for you Quinn."

"Were you with Meredith?" Quinn snapped back; Byron didn't answer her. "Because she's not good for us."

"Sweetheart-"

"Whatever dad," she muttered, sitting on the wooden swing and eventually laying on it. "Just forget it."

"Quinn, come inside," Byron said firmly. She waved him off, curling up on the swing.

"I won't tell mom," Quinn mumbled, drifting off into sleep.

Quinn woke up early the next morning, the sun shining in her eyes. Feeling like her head was about to explode, she sat up slowly on the swing. Figuring her parents were still in bed, she got up and walked back down the street. Her phone had died, so she decided to head back to Jason's. They had both been drunk and said a lot of stuff they hadn't meant. When she got onto his street though, she could see several police cars in front of his house. She hurried down the rest of the block where she saw Aria and her friends sitting outside on the Hastings' porch; Alison wasn't with them.

"What's going on?" Quinn asked, catching her breath from having run down the street. A million scenarios were running through her head right now, one of them being Alison was inside with her family because Jason had finally taken it too far and drank too much.

"Alison's missing," Aria answered. All the girls had tears in their eyes. "She left the barn last night and never came back."

* * *

"Oh, hey Aria," Quinn could hear Hardy saying. She had fallen asleep against his chest as they were watching tv, the blanket over their laps. Aria had come back from the hospital and was standing in the living room, looking a little put off. Quinn figured she hadn't expected to see Hardy there. She also knew that Hardy had given Ezra a difficult time that first night after meeting Aria, which had upset Aria.

"Hey," Aria said, looking between the two of them as Quinn sat up the whole way. "Could I borrow my sister?"

"Ah, yeah," Hardy nodded, like he wouldn't keep Quinn from Aria. "I should probably get going anyway. Call you later?"

"Mhmm," Quinn nodded as he kissed her once, then got up to leave.

"See ya Aria," Hardy said as he left; Aria waved him off as the door shut. She then looked to her sister with raised eye brows.

"What?" Quinn asked.

"I thought that was just a one time thing," Aria commented, taking a seat next to her sister and taking the blanket Hardy had been using to share with her sister.

"It still could be," Quinn shrugged.

"Quinn, you were drooling on him," Aria teased her, making it seem like that made it serious; Quinn rolled her eyes. "What about Jason?"

"We're not having that talk," Quinn said, getting up to get more water.

"Why not?" Aria said, getting up to follow her to the kitchen. "He was the one that took care of you last night and brought you to the hospital. You both obviously still care about each other, so why-"

"Because A threatened you," Quinn finally broke. She couldn't take the constant badgering from her sister about why she had broken up with Jason in the first place. There was only so much Quinn could keep from her younger sister.

"What?" Aria asked in confusion, knowing who her friends thought was A now. "That doesn't make any sense."

"It's such an A thing," Quinn shrugged. "And they've been messing with me way longer than you."

"No," Aria shook her head. "It's just, last night, Hanna saw Noel write on Ezra's car so she thought he was A. Then, when she came to tell us, she got hit by a car and we got a text from A. So we figured..."

"That Noel Kahn is A?" Quinn offered, equally confused now. "That doesn't make any sense. Why would Noel mess with me?"

"Did you or Jason ever have a problem with Eric?" Aria asked in reference to Noel's older brother, leaning against the kitchen door frame as she talked to her sister.

"No," Quinn shook her head. "Not at all. And, even if we did, what does Noel or Eric have to do with Alison?"

"Noel had the problem with Alison," Aria recalled.

"Still though," Quinn said, sipping her water at the counter. "If he had a problem with her, with your group, why bother with me and Jason?" She thought about it. "Messing with you guys makes sense because you were close with her. Any problems with her would extend to you, but I wasn't close with her at all." Truth be told, by the time Alison turned fifteen, Quinn couldn't stand her anymore.

"Maybe A and the killer are different people," Aria pointed out, having considered this theory with her friends.

"Ok, but again," Quinn prepared to repeat. "Why would Noel go through the trouble to break up me and Jason?" She sighed. "Either there's more than one A..."

"Or Noel isn't A in the first place," Aria sighed as well.

"Could he just have been messing with you?" Quinn asked gently. "You two sort of had a thing and seeing you with Ezra probably made him angry."

"I mean, I guess," Aria said, going to take a seat at the table; all of this made her need to sit down. Quinn went out to join her at the seat next to her. "God, we still don't know who A is, do we?"

"I don't think so," Quinn shook her head; she hesitated. "Have you thought about how much trouble Ezra could get in if Noel-"

"If I can't talk about Jason, you can't talk about that," Aria stopped her.

"But this is way more serious," Quinn insisted, not ready to let it go. "Have you talked to Ezra yet?"

"I told him I would meet him at his place tonight," Aria said, not really ready to face the reality of the situation. She ran a hand through her hair nervously, like Quinn always did. "Quinn, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Quinn nodded.

"Who do you think killed Alison?" Aria asked. "You spent more time in that house around her than anyone. You even went to the beach with them that summer."

"The police just arrested that Toby kid," Quinn deflected, not thinking that he had done it. It was true, Quinn was at the DiLaurentis house more than any of Aria's friends. There were things she found out, like the affair with Ian, that would make people other than Toby look very guilty.

"But you don't think he did it," Aria insisted. "Do you?"

"I think that there's a lot of stuff that happened that summer," Quinn said, her tone cautious. Revealing one secret could snowball into another. "Alison knew a lot of stuff, about a lot of people."

"You think someone killed her to keep her quiet?" Aria asked, with everyone else thinking Toby had done it for revenge; Quinn nodded. "What stuff did she know?"

"Oh shit," Quinn mumbled, running both hands through her hair and gripping it at the back of her neck as she rested her elbows on the table. She needed to come clean to her sister about everything. "Aria, there's a lot of stuff I need to tell you about. Things about me, Jason...our parents-"

"Mom and dad?" Aria cut her off. "What about them? What do they have to do with this?"

"It has to do with stuff Alison knew about me," Quinn confessed. "If you find this stuff out later, from someone else, it might look..." She wasn't sure how to say it. "Bad."

"Bad?" Aria asked with raised eye brows. "Bad as in you killed Alison?"

"I didn't!" Quinn shook her head quickly. "I was passed out on the porch all night after I got in a fight with dad."

"I'm not saying you did it," Aria promised. "I just...God, Quinn, what kind of stuff is it?" Aria had no idea what Quinn could be keeping from her that would make things look bad. Quinn took a deep breath as she prepared to tell her sister everything.

**thanks for reading! please review and let me know what you thought! :)**


	8. The Quinn Thing

**thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows! they're so encouraging, so thank you thank you! hope you like this update, lots of flashbacks to tell quinn's secrets :) **

_The Quinn Thing_

"Aria, there's a lot of stuff I need to tell you," Quinn told her. "Things about me, Jason...our parents-"

"Mom and dad?" Aria cut her off. "What about them? What do they have to do with this?"

"It has to do with stuff Alison knew about me," Quinn confessed. "If you find this stuff out later, from someone else, it might look..." She wasn't sure how to say it. "Bad."

"Bad?" Aria asked with raised eye brows. "Bad as in you killed Alison?"

"I didn't!" Quinn shook her head quickly. "I was passed out on the porch all night after I got in a fight with dad."

"I'm not saying you did it," Aria promised. "I just...God, Quinn, what kind of stuff is it?"

Aria had no idea what Quinn could be keeping from her that would make things look bad. Quinn took a deep breath as she prepared to tell her sister everything. She wasn't sure where to start, what lie would spin into another one. After all, there were so many things that Quinn had kept from her younger sister. It wasn't just for Quinn's sake, but also for Aria's; there were just some things that Quinn felt she needed protected from.

"Quinn," Aria said, studying her sister's face in concern. "What is it?"

"Everything," Quinn admitted, rubbing her forehead.

"You're really starting to freak me out," Aria told her; she sighed. "Look, I already know about Jason and the drugs." She shrugged, her face sympathetic. "It wasn't ideal, but he was always really good to-"

"He didn't just do drugs," Quinn cut her off. She figured this was where she should start, with Jason. Hearing about Jason would probably upset Aria the least, while the truth about their parents would probably kill her inside.

"What do you mean?" Aria asked, her eye brows furrowed. "Quinn, if it wasn't just him, if you tried them that's ok! I mean I figured-"

"He would deal sometimes," Quinn stopped her again. This time, Aria didn't asked anything else. She just looked at her sister with raised eye brows, waiting for some kind of explanation. Jason was a drug dealer? "And...sometimes..." Quinn swallowed hard. "I'd drive him."

"You would _what_?" Aria snapped, shocked. Not only had Jason dealt drugs, but her sister was involved? "Like some kind of accessory to a drug deal?"

"Ok," Quinn said, pushing away from her seat at the table and standing up to pace. She couldn't sit still anymore, her anxiety level rising. "If we're going to talk about these things, you can't use cop terms like 'accessory'." She used finger quotations around the word _accessory_.

"Yeah, but Quinn," Aria insisted, still seated at the table but turned sideways to watch her sister walk around the small apartment. "This is so serious." She thought about it. "Could you go to jail?"

"I don't know," Quinn groaned. "I know how serious and messed up this is, trust me. Jason and I...we used to do a bunch of really messed up things."

"And Ali knew?" Aria asked curiously.

"Ali had pictures," Quinn clarified, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know how, she must have followed us one time." She shook her head, stuffing her hands in the pocket of her sweatshirt. "She blackmailed us with it for weeks."

"But she never used it," Aria said, wondering why the blackmail stopped.

"She dropped it for when she found something better," Quinn sighed, her chest feeling heavy.

Only three people knew about what happened at the beginning of last summer; her, Jason, and Alison. She had sworn that she would never talk about it again, though it gave her nightmares for weeks; she would still occasionally wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it. What happened was what made her so willing to help her sister hide the Jenna thing, rather than go to the police with the truth like some of the other girls wanted.

* * *

_Flashback, last summer_

"Oh my God Jay," Quinn gasped, trying to catch her breath as he brought her back into his dorm room and shut the door. She didn't get them often, but when she got really upset she was prone to serious panic attacks. He lead her over to his bed and had her sit on the edge. "I can't...I can't breathe...I-"

"Shhh, Quinn," Jason said, pulling his desk chair over to sit directly in front of her. Luckily, his roommate was gone for the weekend. Quinn had come up to visit him at his school in upstate New York. Hollis let out of classes for summer a week and a half before his school did. She took a bus up there and they planned to drive back to Rosewood once together he was done with classes.

"Quinn, look at me," he told her, taking her face in both of his hands as she continued to hyperventilate. "Baby, it's all right. It was an accident."

Earlier in the evening, they had gone to a party down the hall with some of Jason's college buddies. Everyone was drinking and the party got pretty out of hand. As usual, Jason eventually started smoking. While they were in his room after the party, they decided that they wanted to get pizza. It was too late for them to deliver, but the pizza place across town was still open for pick up. Since Quinn was drunk, not drunk and stoned, her tipsy logic was that she should be the one to drive.

"An accident?" she asked as he attempted to wipe the streaming tears off her face, gaining some composure. "An accident? Jay, I hit someone with a car!" It seemed to come back to her again as her chest began heaving again with heavy breaths. "Oh my God, I-"

As they were driving back, having missed the pizza place closing by a few minutes, she hadn't seen the girl walking out in the middle of the darkened street. Once she struck the girl, both Jason and Quinn panicked. They considered driving off, but Quinn wasn't convinced. She threw the car in park in the middle of the street and ran over to the girl. There wasn't any blood and she was still breathing. Jason got out of the car, bringing her back and convincing her they had to get out of there before anyone saw them.

"Babe," he attempted to calm her, his mind still hazy with intoxication. "You said she was fine, no one saw." He shook his head. "You know what would happen if we called the police."

"No, I know," she groaned, her head collapsing into her hands as her arms rested on her legs. Jason ran a gentle hand over her hair. She would not only get in trouble for drunk driving, but she would also get busted for drinking under age. Jason was also high and, as far as Quinn could figure, there were drugs in the car too.

* * *

"Alison found out a few weeks later," Quinn continued while Aria stared on in shock. "I was crashing at the DiLaurentis's and had a nightmare. She heard us talking about it."

"Oh God, Quinn," Aria said, looking her sister over.

For her entire life, though they were about the same size, Quinn always seemed so much _bigger_ to Aria. She was older, after all, and she just always seemed tougher. Though she had her own substance abuse issues when it came to drinking, she still seemed like she had it all together. In sixteen years, Aria never saw Quinn look so small and vulnerable as she did right now as tears rimmed her eye lids. Aria got up from her seat, going over to hug her sister. When she pulled her into the hug, Quinn started crying softly.

"I'm so glad you told me," Aria assured her, pulling away; Quinn wiped at her eyes quickly. She knew the weight of a secret like that after the Jenna thing. Aria nodded over to the couch for her and her sister to sit and continue to talk.

"So, Alison knew these things," Aria said. "Does...A?" Quinn shook her head.

"Last summer I'd look up articles about the girl from the accident," Quinn told her. She swallowed hard, a lump in her throat. "Her name was Heather. And I...I almost paralyzed her. She was in physical therapy for months." Aria took her hand and squeezed it. Though she knew how serious this was, but she was trying not to be too judgmental since the Jenna thing.

"Is there anything else?" Aria asked, her voice sounding almost supportive. She was trying to encourage Quinn to continue, remembering that she had mentioned their parents. She wanted to know what the big secret about the Montgomery family was.

"Alison was seeing Ian," Quinn answered, changing the subject from her own incrimination. She was surprised when Aria nodded.

"I sort of know that," Aria admitted, seeing her sister's questioning look; she shifted in her seat. "Can you just tell me about what mom and dad have to do with this? Please?"

* * *

_Flashback, last summer_

"Thanks for picking me up," Alison smirked as Quinn drove her home from a party she had attended across town.

Though Quinn was the last person Alison wanted to spend time with, her ride for the night hadn't panned out and she needed a way to get home. Rather than call one of the girls or a cab, she decided to disturb Quinn in the middle of the night. Quinn didn't really like her either, but Alison knew that she wouldn't leave her stranded. After all, she was Jason's little sister and Aria's best friend; she had to mean something to Quinn on some level, right?

"Uh huh," Quinn nodded sarcastically, being one of the few cars out on the road this late. Alison had snuck out to see Ian that night and Quinn was ready to lecture; what was going on with them was beyond wrong. "You know the whole Ian thing is creepy, right? You're not even old enough to drive and he's-"

"My brother's best friend?" Alison offered, jumping in. "My brother, who will get _so_ pissed off when he finds out you didn't tell him about it?" Quinn rolled her eyes while she was driving. "Face it Quinn, can't bust me without getting busted yourself." Quinn ignored her, turning as she got closer to their neighborhood. Driving by her house, she saw that her father was sneaking out of the house and closing the door quietly behind him.

"Hey," Alison protested as Quinn turned to followed the car that her father had gotten into. "You're supposed to be taking me home." Quinn slammed on the brakes, hitting the unlock button on her door. "Are you serious?" Alison asked with a laugh, knowing what Quinn was implying.

"Get out," Quinn ordered. Alison scoffed, rolling her eyes as she got out of the car. She walked the few blocks left separating her house from the Montgomery house. When she got there, her brother was sitting outside drinking alone.

"Surprised you're up," Alison commented as she looked her brother over. By this point in the night, he was usually passed out.

"I noticed Quinn was gone," Jason answered, finishing his beer. "Do you know where she is?" Alison rolled her eyes again as her brother cared more about his girlfriend than what she had been up to that night.

"Nope," Alison lied, opening the front door. She stopped half way in the door way to turn back to Jason. "I wouldn't worry about it though. She's a real bitch."

* * *

"I don't understand," Aria said in confusion. "Where was dad going?"

"He was going to see Meredith," Quinn answered slowly.

"Meredith, that TA that used to help you with your papers?" Aria asked curiously.

"TA by day," Quinn nodded; she bit her lip. "Home wrecker by night."

"What do you mean?" Aria asked, though she had a pretty good idea. "Dad was having an affair with her?" Quinn opened her mouth to answer, but Aria immediately had more questions. "And you knew?"

"He made me promise not to tell," Quinn said, recalling the night she confronted him. "And I couldn't be the one that broke it to mom. Or you and Mike! Dad had to own up to it."

"Well, he never did," Aria said, getting up from the couch.

"Where are you going?" Quinn called after her as she grabbed her jacket.

"For a walk," Aria answered, shutting the door. Aria was feeling so many things right now. Shock, anger, betrayal. She couldn't be around her sister right now, she needed to clear her head.

**thanks for reading! please let me know what you thought, reviews are so encouraging! thanks a bunch :) **


	9. Q & A

**thanks for the review, follows, and favorites! it means so much to me! glad that you guys liked the update, hope you like this one! :)**

_Q & A_

Quinn sighed, not sure what to do now. She understood that Aria was upset with her. After keeping the secret about their parents, she felt that Aria had every right to be mad at her. If Aria was upset though, she was going to go to her friends and who knew what she would spill to them. Deciding that she should chase after her, Quinn got up to change into jeans and a black top before leaving the apartment. As she opened the door to leave, she jumped back when she saw someone that was about to knock on the door.

"Shit," she gasped, jumping back; she then rolled her eyes as he smirked at her. "What do you want Darren?"

"You're awfully jumpy Quinn," Detective Wilden commented, looking her over once. "Any particular reason why?"

"Well, maybe if Rosewood PD didn't bring stalkers onto the force, I wouldn't have to be," she snapped, implying both him and Garrett were getting on her nerves. Darren had been harassing her sister and her friends for weeks, showing up randomly at the school and other events to question them.

"I'll assume you were talking about Garrett," Darren said back. He smirked as he looked her over again; Darren never just looked at Quinn though, he _looked_ at her. She always thought he was a creep, ever since high school and especially after last summer. "But, I mean, you have been leading him on since, what, the tenth grade?"

"I didn't realize having a boyfriend that whole time counted as leading someone on," Quinn retorted; she scrunched her face up in confusion. "Why am I having this conversation with you?"

"You're right," Darren agreed. "I'd actually like to be having a different one, down at the precinct."

"Why?" Quinn asked in confusion.

"Well, since I've taken over the DiLaurentis case I've been going over everyone's statements from the night Alison went missing," Darren explained. "And you're the only person I haven't talked to yet." Quinn looked at him, not believing that he was serious right now. "I'll drive."

* * *

Quinn sat in the interrogation room, immediately uncomfortable. It didn't help that Darren wasn't talking to her right away. Instead, he sat across the table from her, casually flipping through a file folder. Seconds felt like minutes as she waited for him to start asking her questions. Patience was never one of Quinn's strong points.

"Was this really necessary?" Quinn finally asked, noting the interrogation room. Her sister and friends were questioned at school, Jason was probably questioned at home. Why was she being treated as a suspect?

"Figured you wouldn't like it if I came in your apartment," Darren answered, shutting the folder; he was right about that. "I just wanted to look at Jason's statement one more time."

"Ok," Quinn shrugged. Was that supposed to make her nervous?

"All right," Darren said, ready to start. "Could you please describe your relationship with the deceased?"

"Seriously?" Quinn asked Darren, who nodded smugly; she rolled her eyes. "Alison was best friends with my younger sister Aria. I was also in a relationship at the time with her older brother, Jason."

"Uh huh," Darren nodded, taking notes on a yellow legal pad against his crossed leg. She had no idea why he was taking notes, he already knew all of this. "And what was the nature of your relationship with Jason DiLaurentis?" She knew that he was digging at her on purpose to get under her skin; she wouldn't let him.

"He was my boyfriend," Quinn answered.

"Was?" Darren asked with a raised eye brow; Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Yes, as in past tense," Quinn said, her tone annoyed. "As in not anymore."

"Uh huh," Darren nodded again. "How long were you together?"

"Four years," Quinn answered, not sure what this had to do with Alison. "Since I was in high school."

"So, why break it off?"

"What does this have to do with Alison?" Quinn finally snapped at him.

"Well, you two were pretty serious," Darren explained. "Rumor has it, Jason was about to pop the question." Quinn shifted uncomfortably in her seat, remembering that. "So, I'm just wondering what made you decide to call it quits?" He smirked at her. "Did you find out your boyfriend was a killer?"

"No," Quinn said immediately. Did he really think Jason killed his own sister? "I was just tired of his shit." Darren chuckled a little, making another note.

"Fine," he agreed. "Why don't you tell me about that day?"

"What about it?" she asked back, sinking back comfortably against her chair. If he wanted to have this little stand off, she was ready for it.

"What were your plans that Saturday night?" Darren asked her.

"Jason's parents were out of town," Quinn answered. "So, we decided to have a party."

"And, where was Alison?"

"She was staying next door at the Hastings' in their barn, with my sister and her other friends."

"Uh huh," Darren nodded. "And, was there drinking at this party?"

"Yes," Quinn nodded. "Jason and his friends were all twenty-one."

"But, you just turned twenty one only a month ago," Darren commented, like this was a surprise to him. "So, were you drinking underage?"

"Oh, you already know about that Detective Wilden," she smiled sweetly at him. "Weren't you my beer pong partner that night?"

"Ah hah," Darren laughed, making more notes. "You've got a good memory Quinn." He looked up at her from his note pad. "What happened after everyone left the party?"

"Jason and I went upstairs."

"And, what happened next?" Darren asked; he smirked. "Or, _next_ next. You don't have to be explicit." Quinn glared at him.

"We got into a fight."

"About what?"

"His drinking." She wouldn't admit to Jason's drug use, though it was common Rosewood knowledge. Admitting to the drug use would open Jason up to more police scrutiny, which she would never do to him. She also didn't want further questioning to lead back to the dealing.

"But, you were drunk too?" Darren questioned curiously.

"When you're drunk it doesn't have to make sense," Quinn replied; Darren didn't pursue the fight further.

"What happened after you fought?"

"I left," Quinn explained. "To go home."

"Did you make it there?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Can anyone corroborate that?"

"My dad," Quinn answered. "He saw me come back that night." She pulled the legal pad away from Darren, flipping to a clean page to write something down. When she handed it back, it had her father's name and phone number on it. "This is where you can reach him in Iceland." She smiled. "Careful, there's a four hour time distance."

"I'll keep that in mind," Darren assured her. "Let's go back to your relationship with the deceased."

"I told you," Quinn started to repeat. "I dated her brother and she was friends with my sister."

"Right, but what did you think of her," Darren continued, adjusting himself in his seat, leaning forward against the table with his forearms. "Did you get along? That sort of thing."

"She annoyed me," Quinn shrugged. "The way fifteen year olds do. Aria annoys me, my younger brother Mike annoys me."

"So, you're saying she was like a sibling to you," Darren clarified.

"I spent a lot of time over at their house," Quinn nodded, going along with it. "I was in a relationship with her older brother. So, I guess it could be looked at that way."

"And what was her relationship with her actual sibling?" Darren went on. "Alison and Jason?"

"Like I said," Quinn told him, knowing what he was getting at. "Younger siblings can be really annoying. Alison was very..." She wasn't sure how to word it. There were several words she could use to describe Alison_. Bitchy, manipulative, and pain in the ass_ were all one of them, but she couldn't use that at the police station.

"Very what?" Darren prodded.

"Bratty," Quinn finally settled on a word.

"Uh huh," Darren nodded, relaxing back against his chair again. "Was Jason ever...aggressive with you?"

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked curiously.

"It's not a secret that Jason has a temper," Darren explained to her. "Some members of this police force have actually caught the brunt end of it."

"Now, which one are you talking about?" Quinn asked. If Darren was going to dig at her, she was going to dig right back. She had plenty of dirt on him to make him look guilty of a few things, in addition to drinking with minors. "Was it when he broke Garrett's nose a few weeks ago, or was it when he sent you to the hospital after he caught you cornering me upstairs at that house party?" She smiled at him. Jason had never gotten busted with assaulting a police officer because then Darren would have to confess to what he tried on Quinn. As far as Garrett went, he had felt bad enough and hadn't pressed any charges.

"That was the night Alison disappeared, wasn't it?" Quinn went on.

"Could you answer the question Miss Montgomery?" Darren asked her, not amused.

"I'm only saying," Quinn continued. "You really seem to like Jason for this, maybe you just want it to look like it was him?" She shrugged. "Because there seems to be some resentment there."

"Miss Montgomery," Darren repeated, his tone warning; she smiled at him.

"No, Jason was never _aggressive_ with me," Quinn answered, using his terminology. "He'd never hurt me."

"But, he's hurt people for you," Darren said.

"I never asked Jason to go after you or Garrett," Quinn told him. "The way I see it though, you of all people were kind of asking for it."

"He's hurt people over you," Darren corrected himself; Quinn shrugged.

"I guess," she said. "He's protective."

"Was he protective of Alison?" Darren asked. Everyone knew that Jason wasn't the same with Alison as he was with Quinn; he fought with his sister constantly. What Darren was trying to get at was that Jason may have killed Alison because she knew something that could hurt Quinn.

"He was her older brother," Quinn said like it was obvious.

"You didn't answer the question."

"I don't think that he killed her," Quinn informed him. "I know that's what you're really asking."

"But, you can't vouch for where he was that night," Darren confirmed. "Because you went home." Quinn didn't say anything. "So between, what, three in the morning and nine when the police got called to the DiLaurentis residence you have no idea where or what Jason was up to?" She remained silent. "Do you know what Jason did that night after you left?"

"I assume he passed out."

"Oh, well you know what they say about assuming Quinn," Darren smirked at her; she rolled her eyes at him. "You seem really defensive of him." He looked her over again. "Are you in love with him?"

"Excuse me?" Quinn asked. "What does that have to do with Ali's case, honestly?"

"It'll tell me whether or not you're willing to lie for him," Darren said, though he really was just trying to pick at her.

"I'm not lying for him," Quinn deflected, starting to lose her cool a little; Darren knew just which button to push. "I told you, I don't know what he did that night once I left. But you know who you should be questioning? Melissa Hastings."

"And why's that?" Darren asked, genuinely interested. This was just what he had been hoping for; rattling the cage so that something would shake loose. Though the girls had been questioned repeatedly, Melissa was never questioned at all in Alison's disappearance. Quinn knew that she couldn't turn back now.

"Because I saw her when I was leaving Jason's that night," Quinn explained.

"Maybe she was walking home," Darren replied. "She did live next door to the DiLaurentis house."

"Or maybe she was looking for Ian," Quinn said back. "He basically lived in the spare room at Jason's."

"That still doesn't give her motive to kill Alison," Darren said.

"Ian being in Alison's bedroom does," Quinn said, finally telling someone what she knew. In every scenario she played of this secret coming out, telling Darren at the police station wasn't part of any of them.

"Why are you just telling the police about this now?"

"Because this was never a murder investigation before now." She ran a hand through her hair. "And, Ian knew somethings about me and he threatened me with them." She was being completely honest.

"What kind of things?" Darren asked her; she smiled at him.

"Nice try," Quinn told him. "Can I go now?"

"You're not under arrest," Darren said. "So, you're free to leave whenever you like." Quinn got up from her seat, pushing it under the table as she prepared to leave the dimly lit room. "Oh, and Quinn?"

"Make myself available for further questioning, I know the deal," she said, opening the door.

"I was just going to tell you to be careful getting home," he said, turning in his seat to face her. "It's starting to get late and, as we've seen, it's not safe for young women to be out in this town alone."

"Well, I'll be sure to call this grade A police force for help if I need it," she said sarcastically, pulling the door shut behind her. As she was leaving, she was forced to walk by Garrett's desk; she was naive if she hoped that he hadn't seen her.

"Hey, Quinn," he said, getting up to follow her. She continued to walk out of the precinct with her bag on her shoulder, so he walked along with her. "I'm sorry, I didn't know Darren was bringing you in. I hope he didn't harass you too badly."

"He practically has a degree in harassment," Quinn mumbled, pushing the door open to go outside. "With a minor in aggravation."

"Hey," Garrett said, taking her arm on the side walk to stop her. She looked at his hand and then back at him, causing him to release her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Quinn nodded.

"Can I drive you home?"

"I'd rather you didn't," she said, backing up a little so she could go; the sun was just starting to go down and it was getting dark fast.

Once Garrett was back inside, she turned to go back home. It was a long way to her apartment from the precinct, but she wasn't overly concerned about it. There were still plenty of people out around town to make her feel safe. As she eventually turned onto her street, she saw someone sitting on the stoop of her apartment. From far away, she could only see that it was a guy; when she got up close she saw that it was Jason.

"What is it with the boys of Rosewood today?" Quinn commented casually, taking a seat on the stoop next to him.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked curiously.

"Nothing," Quinn brushed it off. "It's just that I just left Darren, then Garrett stopped me on the street." She shrugged. "Am I going to find Ian waiting upstairs or something?"

"I'm sure you're safe," Jason said, though she hadn't brought up safety as a specific concern. "He's still on his honeymoon." Quinn shook her head, remembering Ian and Melissa had just gotten married.

"What are you doing here Jason?" she asked curiously.

"Wanted to see if you were ok," Jason answered. "I tried calling you, but you didn't answer."

"I left my phone upstairs," Quinn nodded. "I got kind of rushed out this afternoon."

"By Darren?" Jason asked; she nodded in answer. "Is he bothering you?"

"You could say that," Quinn agreed. "He just wanted to get my statement again about _that_ night."

"He didn't-" Jason was still overly concerned about Quinn being with Darren, even more so than she was.

"Try to make a move on me?" Quinn cut him off, tired of tip toeing around the subject of Darren's _bothering_ her. "No, he reserves that for when I'm wasted."

"I should have killed him last time," Jason said as if it wasn't any big deal.

"That's not for you to worry about anymore," Quinn reminded him.

"The hell it's not," Jason snapped at her.

"Ok," Quinn said, backing off a little. She hadn't really expected Jason to still be this fiercely protective of her; after all, she had broken his heart. "You should be really careful about saying stuff like that though."

"Why?"

"Because Jay," she sighed as she tried to explain. "He's trying to use your..._aggressive tendencies_ as a reason for you killing Alison."

"He thinks that I killed her?" Jason asked; she nodded. What Quinn didn't know was Jason had thought that he might have killed Alison too. He had never shared the note he got that night with her because he didn't want her to think that he had killed his sister.

"That's all he was driving at the whole time," Quinn answered. "Where you were at, if I knew what happened once I left, if you ever hit me." She shook her head. "He's not going to be looking at you for now though."

"Why's that?"

"Because I drew his attention elsewhere," she said simply, not ready to tell him the truth about Ian.

"Where?"

"It's legitimate, that's all you need to know."

"Quinn."

"Jason."

"It's my sister's _murder_ investigation," he argued, getting up from the stoop and going down to stand in front of her. "You're just going to keep what you know from me?"

"If it keeps you from flying off the handle and doing something stupid, then yes!" she snapped back. Jason shook his head at her, pacing in front of the stoop. "Face it Jay, you're not exactly known for keeping your cool. That's what got me questioned all day in the first place."

"Well, I'm sorry if I inconvenienced you," Jason said, starting to walk off.

"Yeah, that's good Jason!" she shouted after him. "Because we can never have a normal conversation anymore!"He ignored her, going to get into his car. She huffed, going into her building and stomping up to her apartment where she slammed the door. She spotted her phone where she left it, picking it up to call her sister. When she picked it up though, she saw she already had a message from a blocked number.

_Normal went out the window when I disappeared - A_

**thanks for reading! hope that you liked it. reviews please! :)**


	10. Stay

**thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites! it means so much to me! i named this chapter after the song 'stay' by rihanna. i heard it on the radio and it made me wanna write this update (when i talk about jason/quinn dancing this is the song i picture playing lol) hope you like this one! :)**

_Stay_

_Flashback, Last Summer_

"WOOO!" Quinn cheered drunkenly, high fiving Darren after their beer pong victory. It was _that_ night, the night Alison disappeared. Before anything else that night though, Quinn was just having fun with her boyfriend, their friends, and about half of Rosewood. She was so happy and didn't care that she was playing with Darren, who she normally couldn't stand.

"Nice shot Montgomery," Darren grinned at her, _looking_ her over.

"Ooook," Garrett said, coming over to intercept by putting his arm around Quinn's shoulders and turning her to walk along with him. Quinn would never try anything with anyone else while she was with Jason, but Garrett knew that didn't mean other people wouldn't wouldn't try anything on her.

"What's up?" Quinn laughed as they walked through the downstairs of the DiLaurentis house. He was leading her to the kitchen where Jason was.

"I'm getting ready to go Quinn," Garrett told her as they walked through the doorway to the kitchen. Jason and Ian were over by the counter, grabbing another beer can from the refrigerator.

"Why?" Quinn whined as they stopped by Ian and Jason. "Jay, tell Garrett he can't leave yet."

"I can't stop him," Jason laughed, slipping his arm around his girlfriend's waist. "He's going to meet some girl."

"Shut up!" Quinn giggled. "Who is she Garrett? Do I know her?"

"It's private right now," Garrett tried to explain.

"Oh, come on," Quinn insisted, still laughing. "Why didn't you bring her here?"

"She's a bit underage, that's why," Ian smirked, sipping at his beer.

"Underage, like I'm underage?" Quinn continued to asked Garrett, since she wasn't twenty one yet. "Or underage like, she's eighteen?" Garrett wasn't really looking at her and Ian held that same smirk on his face. "Oh, EW!"

"Dude," Jason shook his head.

"Yeah, so I'm going to go," Garrett repeated, ignoring the commentary. "Have fun guys." He looked to Jason. "Get her water or something man."

"Yeah Reynolds," Jason nodded, finishing his beer. Quinn still feel a little heavy against him, like she couldn't hold herself up the entire way. "You feelin' ok babe?"

"Yeah," Quinn promised, standing up away from him. "I think I just need to go lay down."

"You want me to come with you?" Jason offered.

"Nah, I'm ok," Quinn assured him, kissing him once.

She made her way out the kitchen door, through the dining room where the beer pong game was set up. Darren was no longer playing, leaning next to the front door of the house to watch. He noticed Quinn going by, heading over towards the stairs. One hand on the rail, the other on the wall, she starting climbing towards the top. Darren finished off what was left in his plastic red cup before going to follow her. Quinn was walking down the hall towards Jason's room which was at the opposite end of the hall from the stairs. She had to stop halfway, leaning against the wall as her head was spinning. Feeling a hand on her waist, she turned her head.

"Jay," she mumbled, expecting her boyfriend. "I'm really dizzy."

"It's ok," Darren told her, placing both hands on her hips. "I'll help you."

"No," Quinn said, trying to push him away. His grip on her was too tight and she was too drunk. "I wanna go get Jason."

"Jason," Darren said, pushing her against the wall. "Is busy."

"Darren, stop it," Quinn said, continuing to try to push him off her. Darren jerked back and she thought that she might have finally pushed him hard enough, but Jason had him by the shirt and knocked him on the ground. The two fought for a moment, but Jason eventually got the upper hand and started punching Darren in the face.

"Jay, stop it!" Quinn shouted at him. She knew Darren deserved it, but had never seen Jason snap like this before. Part of her was afraid he might kill him. "Jason!" He wasn't listening to her, so she ran over to the stairs. "IAN!" Ian, hearing what was going on upstairs, ran up to pull his friend from the fight. Jason fought against Ian pulling him away, wanting to keep going.

"Hey, come on man," Ian insisted. "The guy's a _cop_!" Darren had turned onto his side and was spitting blood. "Are you insane?"

"I want him out!" Jason argued. "Everyone needs out, the party's over. I-" He stopped when he saw Quinn out of the corner of his eye, sinking down to the floor to sit and looking extremely upset. Darren had gotten up, hunched over as he made his way towards the steps. Jason looked to Ian to kick everyone out and his friend agreed. Once Ian kicked everyone out, what Jason didn't know was his best friend was going out to meet up with his little sister.

"Hey," Jason said, going to sit next to Quinn on the floor. "Are you all right?"

"Oh my God, your hand," Quinn gasped.

"It's fine," Jason brushed it off. "Are you?" She nodded.

"Why did you do that?" Quinn asked. "You could get in so much trouble, he's a cop Jay."

"I don't care who he is," Jason said back. "You're my girl."

* * *

Quinn woke up on the couch, a book in her lap. She sighed, shutting the book and setting it to the side on the coffee table. Thinking about what she had talked about at the police station, she couldn't help but remember that night when Jason fought Darren. It always surprised her how he could be so caring with her, but then he could completely snap on someone else. Alison had been threatening Quinn with secrets that entire summer; had Jason finally snapped against her? Hearing the door slam, Quinn shook the thought from her mind. There was no way Jason was capable of murder.

"Hey," Quinn said, seeing Aria had finally come back. She didn't look happy. Her expression was somewhere between extremely angry and broken upset. "I tried calling you a bunch of times. Where have you been?" Aria glared at her sister, tears in her eyes. "What's going on? Is it Ezra, or-"

"You knew about Alison and Ian that whole summer?" Aria asked accusingly.

"Yes," Quinn answered hesitantly. "I told you that this morning." She looked Aria over once. "What's going on?"

"You should have told someone!" Aria shouted at her, tears streaming down her face. "If you did, Alison would still be here!" Aria went to stomp off to her room, but Quinn cut her off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Quinn stopped her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Ian was with Alison the night she died," Aria told her.

"He was at the house," Quinn said in confusion; that was where he always was.

"He met her at the kissing rock!" Aria snapped. Quinn realized it must have happened after everyone left the party. Her and Jason were alone at the house for awhile before they got into their fight and Ian had come back. "We got a video from A." She swallowed hard. "It shows them together, then Alison gets knocked down." Quinn's mouth dropped open in shock.

"You have to take this to the police," Quinn insisted.

"We are, tomorrow," Aria informed her, still angry. "Can you move so I can go get my stuff?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm staying at Spencer's!" Aria said, pushing past her sister and slamming the door to her room. After packing a few things, she left and headed outside to where her friends were waiting for her to come out. They knew why Aria was so upset, that Quinn had known about Ian and Alison's relationship. They were all just as shocked. Quinn watched her sister leave, slamming the door again. It seemed all that Quinn could do today was anger the people she cared about.

* * *

Nearly a week passed and Aria spent every night at one of her friends' houses, leaving Quinn in the apartment alone. Every bump she heard at night made her jump, wishing she could ask her sister to come back; part of her also wanted to call Jason. Figuring neither of them would return her calls, she decided against it. Instead, she spent her days dodging calls from Garrett. At this point, she had also broken things off with Hardy since she wasn't up for having a relationship right now.

Since she hadn't heard anything about an arrest being made in Alison's case, she figured the girls hadn't shown the video to the police and she figured A, or maybe even Ian, had something to do with that. After her classes let out Friday afternoon, she headed to the grocery store. While she was there, she ran into Emily's mom.

"Oh, hey Mrs. Fields," Quinn smiled when she saw her.

"Hi Quinn!" Mrs. Fields smiled back. "How have you been?"

"Good," she nodded. "Just busy with school." Pam nodded.

"And your parents?" she asked.

"They're good too," Quinn told her. "Enjoying Europe."

"We've really been missing your mom around the PTA," Pam told her; she paused in thought. "I'm actually really glad I ran into you."

"Oh no," Quinn shook her head immediately, knowing what this was about. There was a dance at the high school the next night. "I really can't. I-"

"Please?" Pam asked. "We're extremely short on the chaperoning list. I'm sure the girls would love seeing you there!" Quinn wondered if Pam had any idea why Aria hadn't been home in a week and she figured she didn't. "It'll be fun," Pam continued. "I saw Jason and Ian were both chaperoning, it'll be like old times for you three."

"Uh huh," Quinn nodded skeptically, figuring she had no way out of this.

"So, will you be there?" Pam confirmed; Quinn nodded, though still unsure. "Great! Meet at the gym an hour before the dance, at seven."

"Got it," Quinn said, giving a fake smile. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

By Saturday night, Aria still hadn't come home. Quinn got ready alone, missing her and her sister's usual routine of getting ready together on the weekends. How long was Aria going to stay mad at her? Eventually, she was going to see that Quinn kept those secrets to keep the people she cared about safe. At least, that was what Quinn hoped she would realize.

Quinn stood in front of her closet, unsure of what to wear. Yes, it was a dance. Normally, she would have dressed like she was going to a party. But, she was going to be a chaperone at this dance, a supervisor of sorts. What did a chaperone wear to a dance? She struggled to remember her chaperones from high school. The only one she could remember was the stuffy librarian with her long skirts and frumpy sweaters. Shaking her head, she continued to contemplate her clothes. She was going to see Jason there...

She pulled the black skirt she had worn last week on her date with Hardy and a light blue top. Observing herself, she rolled her eyes at herself as she thought it was too much and pulled it off to change. After all, she wasn't going to be Jason's date at this dance. She was going to be the person that stood off to the side, making sure kids didn't sneak in alcohol or run off to make out; it made her feel old. She eventually settled on the deep blue sundress she had worn when she picked up Aria from the airport, wearing a gray cardigan over it.

As she finished her make up, she wondered why she cared so much about what Jason thought about how she looked that night. He had seen her plenty of times, looking much less than pretty. Last weekend he had held her hair while she threw up in the hospital waiting room trash can. In any case, he probably wasn't going to want to talk to her that night. The last time she checked, he was still mad at her.

Arriving at the dance, the first person she spotted was Ian. He was talking to other school faculty. When his eyes settled on her, she saw anger flash across them for only a moment before he went back to his typical star athlete smile. Not seeing Jason right away, she felt a little sad. It wouldn't really surprise her if he bailed on something like this. Finally, clipboard in hand, Mrs. Fields found her.

"Great, you're here," Pam smiled at her. "Ok, the chaperones are all going to rotate. I have you taking coats first with Mr. Fitz." Pam paused. "You've met Aria's English teacher, right?"

"Once or twice," Quinn nodded.

"Well, you'll love him," Pam told her; she smiled at her. "And, sweetheart, he's single." Out of all the moms, Mrs. Fields had been friends with Ella the longest and had been around the most when Quinn was little.

"Uh huh," Quinn said uncomfortably. Pam pointed her in the right direction, where she found Ezra already sitting against the table, a line of coat racks and hangers behind him.

"Hey Quinn," Ezra said when she came over, seeming a bit put off himself. Quinn and Ezra never spent much time together, with the only time they had seen each other out ending with Quinn threatening him. He knew that she didn't approve of his relationship with Aria.

"Hey," Quinn said back, giving a polite smile. She leaned back against the table next to him. All they had to do now was wait for people to show up.

"How are you?" he asked sociably.

"Chaperoning a high school dance on my Saturday night," she answered with a small laugh. "So, old." He laughed a little too.

"I know how you feel," he agreed.

"Well, you seem to fit in pretty well with this crowd," Quinn mumbled to herself. She caught Ezra glancing at her out of the corner of her eye. "Sorry, that was a really cheap shot."

"It's fine," Ezra brushed it off, though it was ever apparent that Quinn still wasn't ok with him and Aria.

"No," Quinn said, hopping up to sit on the table the whole way, her long legs dangling off it. "Go ahead, take a shot at me."

"I'm not going to insult you Quinn," Ezra said like it was obvious.

"Fair is fair," Quinn shrugged. "Come on."

"Ah," Ezra said, struggling to think of some way to dig at her. What was he supposed to do, call his girlfriend's sister a bitch? That would easily earn him a slap across the face. "Your...hair."

"My hair?" Quinn asked, running a self conscious hand through it. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"Nothing," Ezra laughed. "It's fine, I just know from old girlfriends that the worst thing to say was that their hair was messed up."

"That's so lame," Quinn laughed. As they were laughing, Jason arrived at the dance and came over to drop off his coat. "Jason, hi," Quinn said quickly. She felt like a high schooler, getting so excited to see him. What was going on with her today?

"Hey," Jason said, giving her a small smile. He didn't seem angry anymore, but things were still tense. Ezra got up to take Jason's jacket and Quinn was happy to have a minute to talk to him.

"So," Quinn said, making conversation. "Did Mrs. Fields recruit you too?"

"No, the Vice Principal," Jason answered. "Since I'm a counselor and all."

"Right," Quinn nodded. "Are you coats too?"

"Ah, snack table I think," Jason said awkwardly as Ezra handed him his ticket with the number on it. "Thanks man. I'll, uh, see ya later Quinn."

"Bye," Quinn said, watching him go. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ezra giving her a strange look. "What?" she asked, looking over at him.

"Why are you acting like an angst filled teenager?" Ezra asked, seeming a bit amused.

"We used to date," Quinn admitted.

"Ah," Ezra nodded in understanding. "In high school, I'm guessing?" She nodded again. "What happened? If you don't mind me asking." She shrugged.

"Life blew up," Quinn mumbled. "His sister went missing, everything changed."

"Maybe it can still work," Ezra offered. "If two people are supposed to be together, you can make anything work."

"I guess if anyone knows that, it's you," Quinn said with a half smile. "That...wasn't me taking a shot."

"I know," Ezra promised.

* * *

Aria barely acknowledged her sister when she dropped off her coat at the table. While she was in line, she had seen Quinn and Ezra acting friendly and that annoyed her. It didn't help when Emily's mom stopped by to say hi to the girls and she mentioned how cute the two of them were together. It made Aria feel like she was going to throw up. She wanted people to think her and Ezra were cute, not Ezra and her sister. She wanted to be able to giggle in public with him, to touch his arm.

The chaperone shift changed and Quinn and Ezra got moved to the gym with the majority of the chaperones. She set out to find her sister, who walked off with a claim that she had to go to the bathroom. Emily wasn't with them, having gone out to make a phone call. Hanna went with Aria to see if she was all right. This left Spencer with Quinn.

"It'll be fine," Spencer said quickly, filling the awkward silence. "Aria's just trying to deal. You dropped some pretty big bombs on her."

"What, um, bombs did she tell you about?" Quinn asked, praying that Aria hadn't mentioned the accident or the dealing.

"About your parents," Spencer said quietly. "And, um, about the whole Ian thing."

"I mean, God, Spence, if I knew what he was going to do, I-"

"No, I know," Spencer promised. "We all do. A has us all in a place where we have to lie to protect people." She gave Quinn a reassuring smile. "Aria's just in shock. I'll see if she wants to come home tonight though." Quinn smiled back.

"You were always my favorite," Quinn told her. Spencer's smile quickly faded as she was looking past Quinn. Quinn looked over her shoulder and saw Ian approaching. Quinn nodded her head, indicating that she would handle this and Spencer should leave. Spencer went off to find the other girls, leaving Quinn to deal with Ian.

"Quinn," Ian nodded at her. They hadn't spoken since she saw him at the courthouse and, before that, they hadn't spoken since Alison went missing and they all went back to college.

"Hey," Quinn said, feeling uncomfortable. "Where's your wife?"

"Philly," Ian answered. "She left this morning to check out the condo."

"And you stayed to check out the high school students," Quinn commented. "How typical."

"See," Ian started to say. "It's comments like those that will get you into some serious trouble Montgomery."

"Am I the one that's going to get in trouble?" Quinn asked with raised eye brows. She was putting out a tough exterior, hoping Ian would back off. Inside though, she was a shaking mess now that she knew who most likely killed Alison.

"So, you were the one that told the police about seeing Melissa that night," Ian said like she had just confirmed his suspicions.

"Saw Melissa what night?" Quinn asked innocently. Ian grabbed her arm above her elbow, jerking her closer.

"I'm not messing around Quinn," Ian said seriously, his voice low. "I don't need the cops at my house questioning my pregnant wife over something she had nothing to do with."

"Melissa's knocked up?" Quinn laughed, trying to pull away; Ian's grip on her arm tightened.

"You're going to drop it," Ian ordered. "Before someone gets hurt."

"Don't you mean someone else?" Quinn offered. Ian opened his mouth to argue back, but was cut off.

"Hey," Jason said, coming over. Ian immediately released Quinn's arm. "What's going on?" He didn't seem like he was going to fly off the handle like usual, but he was concerned.

"Just trying to get Quinn out to dance," Ian said, giving a fake smile. "You know how she is at these things."

"Uh huh," Jason said, not believing him. "Why don't you get out of here Ian?" Ian held up his hands as he backed off.

"I don't need anything broken tonight," Ian smirked, heading off towards the snack table; Quinn rolled her eyes as he walked off, turning to Jason the whole way.

"Thanks," she said quietly; Jason nodded his head at Ian.

"What was that?" Jason asked.

"Ah," Quinn said, contemplating a lie. What was the point? Lying only seemed to get her into more trouble, especially with the people that mattered. Rather than say anything, she decided to change the subject entirely. "Dance with me?"

"You're serious?" Jason laughed a little as she took his hand and pulled him out to the dance floor. The song changed to a slow one and Quinn groaned internally. Jason shrugged at her as if to say it was her idea. He placed his hands on her waist and she went along, placing her hands on his shoulders. In her wedges, she was still a few inches shorter than him.

"This is weird," Quinn told him.

"Could be worse," Jason said. "We could dance like middle school." He demonstrated by holding her out at arms length, his finger tips barely grazing her waist. Quinn laughed as he pulled her back in close.

"God, middle school," she grimaced. "Let's _never_ talk about middle school."

"Agreed," Jason smiled. "So...are you going to tell me what that was with Ian before?"

"He's not really happy with me," Quinn said, looking down.

"I take it that's the direction you threw the police in," Jason offered.

"I will neither confirm or deny that," Quinn said, trying to remain light.

"Uh huh," Jason said, looking her over. "Let's just say, I got a call from Rosewood PD. They said they were following up on a new lead, but they didn't have the most reliable source."

"Ugh," Quinn muttered. "I am unreliable."

"Probably only because you were with me," Jason offered.

"You're not that sketchy," Quinn promised.

"_That_ sketchy?" Jason laughed.

"You know what I mean Jay," Quinn said, laughing too. Things were so easy with them. Why couldn't they just be together? She caught a glimpse of her sister with Spencer and she knew why; it was too dangerous.

"Quinn," Jason tried to say.

"Please don't say it," Quinn stopped him. "I know what you're thinking. We just..." The song ended and she backed away from him. "Can't."

She walked off, out of the gym and towards the girls' bathroom because she didn't want Jason to see her cry. The bathroom was empty and she chose the first stall, shutting the door and locking it before leaning back against the side. Tears sprang to her eyes and she swallowed hard in an attempt to control them. Feeling her phone buzzing in her dress pocket, her stomach immediately sank.

_You're right you can't - A_

Attached was a link. When Quinn clicked on the link to open it, there was the picture of the girl she had hit last summer, Heather. There was an article underneath, detailing how Heather was nearly paralyzed in a hit and run accident. As of now, there were still no leads on the accident or who hit her. Quinn clutched her phone as she started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Quinn?" she heard a voice saying as the bathroom door creaked open.

"Go away Jason," Quinn said, wiping the tears off her face. She saw his feet under the door.

"Would you come out, please?" Jason asked. Quinn obliged, coming out of the stall. Jason moved out of her way as she made her way over to the sink to wipe the black stains from her mascara off her face.

"Last I checked, this was the girls room," Quinn said as she set her phone on the counter. She grabbed a paper towel, wetting it before wiping off the mascara.

"What is going on with you?" Jason asked her, locking eyes with her reflection as he stood behind her.

"Just let it go Jay," Quinn said back.

"I won't," Jason said, making her turn around to look at him. "Do you want to be with me or not?" He was tired of this back and forth game they had going.

"That's not fair."

"It's a simple question!"

"It's not safe for us," Quinn said.

"Are you still hearing from them?" Jason asked with raised eye brows; he hadn't heard from A once. Quinn held out her phone as an answer and Jason unlocked it to read the last message. "Oh God," Jason said when he saw the link, the pretty blonde girl in the picture.

"Now you see my point," Quinn said, taking her phone back and replacing it in her pocket.

"Quinn," Jason said, going to follow her out of the bathroom. Quinn stopped suddenly in the doorway, causing Jason to stop behind her. Ian was outside the door, getting ready to go into the men's bathroom next door.

"Man," Ian smirked when he saw them coming out of the bathroom together. "It really is like high school." Quinn rolled her eyes, leaving both Jason and Ian behind her.

**thanks for reading! hope you liked it (i just wanted to make sure it didn't seem like i was going to go for ezra/quinn, i just want them to be friends lol) please let me know what you thought, it means so much! :) thanks! **


	11. No Place to Run

**thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites and to those who have followed/favorited me as an author! love hearing your feedback :) hope you like this update!**

_No Place to Run_

It had been a few weeks since the dance and Aria had returned home, eventually understanding why her sister had been keeping those secrets from her. After all, A had them all twisted up and keeping secrets from the people that they cared about. Quinn was just trying to protect her.

For now though, things were still tense. Quinn was still less than enthused about Aria's relationship with Ezra but that wasn't their biggest concern right now and neither was Quinn's avoidance of Jason since the dance. Aria and her friends had gone to the police station with evidence the day before. They had come across it during a rehearsal for the school play and thought that it was the weapon Ian had used to kill Alison. When the police investigated though, it turned out that the blood wasn't even human; it looked like the girls were lying.

That afternoon, the girls were picked up and taken to the police station for questioning on the evidence and why they were so sure that Ian was the killer. Spencer's mom was there with them, though they weren't being charged with anything currently. When Aria finally came out, she saw her friends getting together with their parents as they got ready to leave. Quinn, however, wasn't among them.

"Aria," Mrs. Marin said, getting her attention as she looked around for her sister. Hanna and her mom were the only ones left now as Spencer and Emily had already been taken home. "Do you need a ride home honey?"

"Oh, no, it's ok," Aria smiled at her. "I'm sure my sister's almost here, I'll just wait for her."

Aria sat and waited for close to an hour on a bench inside the police station, though it felt like it had been five hours. Garrett kept peeking at her from his desk, though he never got up to talk to her or see how she was. Outside, Aria noticed how late it was starting to get and she began to worry. Each time she tried to call Quinn though it went straight to voice mail.

"Come on," she heard a voice saying. When she looked up, she saw that Detective Wilden was standing in front of her. "Gotta take you home kid."

Aria rolled her eyes, following Darren out to his car. He was as sketchy as ever, but she knew it was better to take the ride home from him now rather than cause even more questions over where her sister was and why she wasn't picking her up. Right now, Quinn certainly wasn't in the running for guardian of the year as she still wasn't able to be reached to pick Aria up from the police station.

"What do you want to listen to?" Wilden offered, letting Aria pick the radio station. He was being unusually pleasant, which put Aria off even more. She remembered when he used to come by their house, when he used to be friends with Quinn and the other older crowd in Rosewood; he had always called her _kid_ back then too. She also remembered how her sister hadn't really liked him back then, though she completely despised him now.

Getting to the apartment, Aria expected for Darren to just leave her at the door but he got out with her. He claimed that he couldn't leave her alone without knowing where her guardian was, but Aria felt like that was just an excuse for him to bother Quinn in some way. As Aria was opening the door to the apartment, they both turned their heads as they heard someone coming down the hall; it was Quinn, who hurried down the hall faster as she saw who was with her sister.

"What's going on?" Quinn asked, taking over the door. She had nearly pushed Aria inside, standing between her and Darren as she kept him out in the hallway. She was tired of him popping up every where she went just to harass her. These days, Aria noticed her sister seemed extra jumpy but she didn't know why. They hadn't been receiving too many messages from A and both Jason and Garrett seemed to be leaving her alone.

"Just bringing Aria back from the station," Darren informed her, looking to Aria briefly before locking eyes with Quinn again.

"You can't question her without me," Quinn snapped at him. "She's a _minor_."

"You couldn't seem to be reached," Darren fired back. "Whatever you were doing was more important." Now he was just trying to burn her.

"I had my phone off, I was in the library," Quinn said, brushing a piece of hair out of her eyes before crossing her arms. Though Darren didn't pick up on the tell, Aria did. Quinn always brushed at the pieces of hair around her face when she was lying. "And that still doesn't change the fact that you-"

"Spencer's mom was there," Aria jumped in, though defending Darren earned her a bit of glare.

"Your room," Quinn said, her tone serious and her eyes narrow. Aria went off to her room, knowing that her sister wasn't kidding around right now. Sitting on her bed, Aria strained to hear what Quinn and Darren were talking about but they kept their voices low. Eventually, though, she heard things start to escalate.

"What are you really doing here?" Quinn demanded. "I know it's not because you're worried about Aria's well being."

"Actually, as an officer I am," Darren said back. "You're supposed to be responsible for her and-"

"Don't you dare!" Quinn stopped him. "She's my sister, ok, and you-"

"No one could find you today!" Darren cut her off. "For hours, you were gone and she needed you." He smirked a little. "And, considering the part you're playing in a certain investigation-"

"Get _out_!" Quinn shouted at him, though he was out far enough in the hall for her to slam the door before locking it. Hearing the door slam, Aria jumped. She waited a moment before tip toeing out of her room, peeking her head out the door where she saw Quinn going outside to smoke on the fire escape. Rolling her eyes again, Aria went over to sit on the window sill to talk to her sister.

"Thought you were taking up running," Aria commented as she sat down.

"Doesn't work the same," Quinn mumbled, taking a long drag before letting the smoke out. Aria hated her sister's smoking, but at least at wasn't like her drinking. "What happened today?"

"You remember that trophy I told you about yesterday?" Aria asked; Quinn nodded. "It was fake." She sighed. "Should have known that A planted it."

"Story of our lives now," Quinn muttered, continuing to smoke. Aria hesitated before asking the next question because she wasn't sure she wanted to know what the answer was.

"Where were you today?" Aria finally asked, her voice quiet. These days, secrets between them made her nervous.

"You don't need to worry about it," Quinn eventually answered, flicking her cigarette butt off the edge of the fire escape before climbing back inside.

"Quinn," Aria protested as her sister closed the window, carefully locking it. When Quinn turned around to look at her, Aria had never seen that look in her eyes before. It wasn't like she was telling her to stop, it was almost like she was pleading.

"It's not safe right now," Quinn said, her voice matter of fact. In the weeks since they had started hearing from A, their safety had been called into question more than once. It was their new normal to be concerned about where the next attack might be coming from.

"Quinn, if we're keeping secrets from each other-"

"Then it's for a good reason Aria," Quinn interrupted her.

"I was going to say it's like the old days," Aria said back, her voice cold. "With the drugs, the accident, the-"

"Just stop it," Quinn snapped at Aria, not ever wanting to talk about those things again. "All right? God, I can't take this anymore." She ran her hands through her hair anxiously. "With A and Alison. Dodging Garrett and Darren, and everything in between."

"And you think I can?" Aria argued back. Right now it felt like Quinn thought she was the only one deal with this. Quinn seemed nervous now, twisting her hands. Aria knew that she was thinking something but she didn't know how to say it. "What?"

"What if you left Rosewood?" Quinn asked. "If you could just get out of here, then-"

"What, and go back to Iceland?" Aria snapped. "Are you kidding me? All my friends are here, and Ezra! And you! How could you just ship me off to-"

"Ok, ok ok, ok," Quinn said quickly, waving her hands in front of Aria to get her attention. Clearly the prospect of going back to Europe with their parents and brother was not even on the table. "I'm sorry, ok? Just breathe."

"You want to send me away?" Aria asked her.

"I don't _want_ to," Quinn shook her head. "I just thought...I mean...if you were out of the country A couldn't get to you. I just want you to be safe."

"Hey," Aria said, giving her a half smile. "It's you and me in this. Ok?"

"I'm the older sister Aria," Quinn reminded her. "It's my job to keep you safe."

"Just don't send me to Iceland," Aria repeated. "Promise."

"Promise," Quinn said, offering her pinky finger like they did when they were kids. Aria laughed a little, linking Quinn's pinky with hers.

"All right," Aria smiled to change the subject as she released Quinn's hand. "Do you want me to make you coffee or something?"

"For what?" Quinn asked in a bit of confusion.

"Isn't tonight your first over night shift at the hospital?" Aria asked curiously.

Quinn had forgotten about it because she had lied. Over the last few weeks, Quinn needed to get out of the house for a few hours at a time. She would tell Aria that the school was requiring her to get intern hours before she could graduate this year. That part was true, but her real internship wouldn't start until the spring semester and it would be closer to home. She lied saying that she had been placed at a hospital an hour away though, giving her an excuse to escape town for a few hours.

"Oh yeah," Quinn said, playing dumb as she rubbed her forehead. "God, that's tonight."

"Yeah, you're going to need that coffee," Aria chuckled, rubbing Quinn's arm as she walked by to the kitchen to make her coffee for that night. Quinn felt a pit beginning to form in her stomach, knowing that she was back to lying to her sister again. She was doing it not only for her sister though, but for herself. The lies were to keep Aria safe but to also give Quinn what she wanted. After all of this, she felt that she deserved a small piece of happiness.

It happened the weekend after the dance, purely by accident. She had been out shopping and ran into one of her old friends from high school, CeCe Drake. She hadn't be especially close to CeCe, she wasn't part of the main group or anything, but they were still pretty good friends. She used to date Eric, Noel Kahn's older brother. Eric and Jason were friends in that they used to do some deals together, when Jason had been heavily involved with drugs.

According to CeCe, her and Eric had started to see each other again. After running into each other, CeCe insisted that Quinn come to a party that night up at the Kahn's family cabin. Quinn knew the cabin well, having gone to plenty of parties there through high school and the first part of college. She knew it well enough to know that there was a secret room in the back, where the boys used to keep their stash in between deals.

As it turned out, Jason had been crashing at the Kahn's cabin in that old back room. There was a mattress on the floor and an old tv in the corner, that was about it; there weren't even windows. He had been staying in Ian's apartment since Ian had moved in with Melissa, but now the lease was up and the landlord was ready to rent to new tenants. With Jason recently coming into some family money, he was planning to buy back his family's old house from Maya's family. They weren't closing for a few weeks though, so for now he needed a place to stay. Quinn didn't know he was staying there until she got to the party. And it wasn't until towards the end of the party that she found herself staying the night.

This was where Quinn had been disappearing too, sneaking off to see Jason in secret. She was careful about it, hiding her car off the main road and walking the rest of the way to the cabin. Normally, she only came up for a little bit but now she had planned to stay over for the first night since the party. Since it was normally day light when she came up, it never bothered to to walk up the shaded path to the cabin. Now, as it was dark outside, she became more uneasy as she made her way up to the cabin, feeling the pocket knife she had started to keep in her jacket. Since Ian had pretty much threatened her at the dance, she rarely felt safe alone. As she climbed up onto the porch, she let herself into the cabin with the key under the mat.

Once inside, the cabin was mostly dark. Figuring Jason was probably in the back room, she felt her way along the walls towards it. When she got in, she saw that the light was on but Jason wasn't in there. Hearing footsteps out in the hall, she turned to go out to see where he was.

"Jay?" she asked, stepping back out into the hallway. All there was were more footsteps. Quinn walked down the dark hall alone, going towards where she thought the footsteps were coming from. As she got further down the hallway though, they seemed to be coming from behind her. Turning around quickly, she ran smack into the person causing her to jump and take a swing.

"Hey, whoa," Jason said, catching her hand. "It's ok babe, it's me."

"Holy hell Jay," Quinn complained, pushing against his bare chest. He must have just been getting ready for bed since he was just in his gym shorts. "Didn't you hear me calling you?"

"I was in the bathroom," he explained. Even in the dark, Quinn noticed he had his toothbrush with him. "Come on." He took her hand, taking her back through the dark to the room he had been crashing in, the tv on with low volume and a messy pile of blankets on the small mattress.

"So, I didn't know I was getting you all night too," Jason smiled as he closed the door, kissing her once; she had been up there with him that afternoon when Aria had been trying to call her. Though he wasn't too crazy about the fact that they had to sneak around so much, but he was happy to have Quinn back.

"Hey," he said, noticing her expression; she seemed shaken up. "You all right?"

"You just really got me out there," she said lightly, giving him a small smile though there were a few things on her mind right now.

"I wish you would have let me know you were coming up," Jason said, taking a seat on the mattress. He tugged on her hand to get her to sit next to him. "I could have walked up with you from your car." He ran a hand over her hair. "You shouldn't be walking alone in the dark like that."

He had always worried about Quinn, he didn't want anything to happen to her. He was always concerned about her when they were dating the first time, especially in times like when he was away at school and she would go out to parties alone. Now though, with everything that happened to his sister, in addition to their troubles with Darren and Garrett, he was worried about her being on her own even more now. He wished he could stay with her at the apartment, that he could be with her outside this cabin, but she was more on edge than he was about keeping their relationship low key.

"I couldn't have called you or anything," Quinn reminded him. She had no idea how it happened, but A knew everything, including when she talked to Jason and when she was with him. Was A watching her, or keeping some kind of tabs on her phone? In any case, as soon as she would leave to come up to the cabin, she turned off her phone and left it in the car. There was no way she was risking being tracked through it.

"Right, phone thing," he commented, like he didn't think that she needed to be that overly cautious.

"Jay," she complained. "What we're doing is working, it-"

"I know," Jason stopped her, understanding. There was a lot at stake right now, them seeing each other like this; their safety, their secrets, everything. He put an arm around her waist to pull her over into his lap. "Trust me." He kissed her once, smiling a little as he pulled away. "It's better than nothing." She gave a small smile back, one that said that she was still unhappy about something.

"Quinn, what's wrong?" Jason asked again. "Did you get a text or something?"

"No," Quinn shook her head quickly. Thankfully, it hadn't been that though it wasn't much better. "I told you about that trophy earlier?" Jason nodded, remembering the story. He hadn't been happy when she came clean about knowing about Ian and Alison, but he knew that both of them had blackmailed her so he understood.

"I guess it was fake or something," Quinn continued. "I didn't get the whole story from Aria, but it looks like they were set up."

"By A?"

"Or Ian," Quinn offered. "If he can make them look guilty, like they're trying to set him up then it sort of gets him off the hook for-"

"Can we not go there right now?" Jason asked. It was still hard to believe that his best friend since he was a kid could do something like this to his sister. "I'm worn out with all this." Earlier that afternoon when Quinn had been there, she had talked his ear off about the trophy and Ian's involvement, the things she thought might have happened. "Right now, I just want to be with my girl." He smiled a little, ready to tease her. "If that's ok with you."

"I mean, I guess," Quinn giggled, kissing him.

She didn't know how she went this long without being with Jason. And until now she had refused to acknowledge how much she had missed him but she really had. She loved him, she needed him. And, though it wasn't perfect right now, she was so glad to have him back.

* * *

Early the next morning Quinn woke Jason up to say goodbye before slipping out of the cabin and heading back to her car. Though it was against her better judgement, they agreed to meet up at the founder's festival that night. Sneaking around was sort of fun, it was like when they were in high school and had to sneak around her parents. Part of it was exciting, though mostly it was nerve racking.

"Where have you been?" Aria asked Quinn quickly as she came back into the apartment that morning. "I've been trying to call you!"

"I can't have my phone on in the ICU," Quinn lied and her sister bought it. "What's going on?"

"Mom called," Aria explained.

"Is everything ok?" Quinn asked immediately.

"Depends on what you think is ok," Aria mumbled as Quinn came over to the couch to sit with her. "She's coming home, tonight, and she's bringing Mike back with her."

"What, why?" Quinn asked in confusion. The last time she had talked to her mom she had been loving Iceland.

"Because she got an anonymous email a few days ago about dad and Meredith," Aria explained. "With pictures."

"Oh God," Quinn said, falling back against the couch with her hands over her face. Was this her fault? Had A somehow found out about her and Jason, and now she was being punished for it?

"It gets better," Aria said sarcastically, opening up the last message on her phone. "After I got off the phone with mom, I got this." Quinn read over the text message.

_There's no place I can't get you - A_

"It's like they knew about you thinking about sending me to Iceland," Aria continued. "And now they're trying to prove a point."

"Was someone in here last night?" Quinn asked, panic rising in her voice as she started searching the apartment though she wasn't sure what she would find.

"Quinn, relax," Aria pleaded, not wanting her sister to have a panic attack as she got up to follow her. "Listen, I think we should call Garrett. He obviously cares and he's a _cop_. Plus-"

"My window's unlocked," Quinn said, coming out of her room. "I always leave it locked. It's like someone broke in and then couldn't lock it from outside."

"What if we went home with mom?" Aria asked quickly, trying to calm her sister's nerves. "She's going to need us, and maybe it'll be better in a big house than here."

"Don't you get it Aria?" Quinn snapped, though she hadn't meant to. "There's no place to run to. Nothing's secret or safe!" With that, Quinn rushed out of the apartment.

**thanks for reading! hope you liked the update :) please let me know what you thought **


	12. Not Over Yet

**thank you so so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! it all really means a lot to me. :) hope you like this update!**

_Not Over Yet_

"No, no, no," Quinn shook her head furiously in her sleep, tossing and turning as she attempted to fight off the attacker in her dream. "Stop!"

"Quinn!" Mike said, shaking her awake.

Quinn jumped, her eyes popping open as she quickly sat up at surveyed her surroundings. She was home, in her bedroom at the house where she had grown up. She had been staying there for two days now, her mother having returned home from Iceland with her younger brother. With everything that was going on, some things Ella knew about and some things she didn't, Aria and Quinn both had started moving their things from the apartment back to the house.

"Are you all right?" Mike asked, concern in his blue eyes. He had his backpack on as he sat on the edge of her bed, so Quinn knew he must be getting ready for his first day back at school.

"Fine," Quinn promised quickly. She felt bad, seeing him so worried about her. After all, he had just turned fifteen, he shouldn't have to be worried about stuff like this. "Just a bad dream." She gave him a half smile for reassurance. "What time is it?"

"Almost seven thirty," Mike answered.

"God, I'm late," Quinn said, tossing the blankets to the side.

"Mom wants you to skip class today," Mike stopped her. "She's downstairs, Jason already left for work." While Ella wasn't crazy about Jason staying at the house, having a rule about boyfriends sleeping over, she knew after what happened that Quinn felt safer having him there. Truth be told, while it was very old fashioned thinking, she felt better too having a man in the house for now.

"Ok," Quinn nodded.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Mike asked, looking her over. Her lip wasn't swollen anymore, but it was still split from where she had been hit; there were also butterfly stitches for the cut she had near her hair line. Her clothes, sweatpants and one of Jason's old t-shirts for now, were enough to cover up any bruises.

"Promise," Quinn assured him. "Go catch up with Aria, you'll be late." Aria was already waiting downstairs where Hanna was going to give her and Mike a ride to school.

"K," Mike said, kissing her cheek before getting up to leave her room.

"Tell mom I'll be down in a minute!" Quinn called after him as he left her room.

Quinn sighed, falling back against her pillows for a moment, gathering her thoughts. For the past two days since the founder's festival everyone had been treating her like she was about to shatter any minute. All that was doing was make her feel more on edge. Sighing again, she rolled herself out of bed, heading over to her mirror to look herself over.

Weren't injuries supposed to heal? She felt like with each passing day she was actually starting to look worse, bags forming under her eyes from a lack of sleep. Make up wouldn't help, so she didn't bother. Remaining in the clothes she slept in, she piled her hair up in a messy bun before going downstairs to see her mother. She could hear her from the stairs at the front door, arguing with someone. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she realized that it was Darren.

"I need to speak with her again about the incident from Saturday night," Darren was explaining.

"You can look at the police report Garrett already filled out with her," Ella snapped at him, her maternal instincts in overdrive. Quinn had gone over what happened enough times with enough people, she didn't need to be forced to tell it again.

"Mrs. Montgomery," Darren said, trying to take a step into the house. Ella blocked the doorway, pulling the door closer to being shut.

"Do you have a warrant?" Ella asked him.

"No-"

"Then you'll get off my porch before I have some of your co-workers do it for me," Ella threatened, slamming the door on him and locking it. Turning, she saw her daughter standing at the bottom of the stairs, smiling at her. "Honey..."

"Thanks mom," Quinn told her before going over to sit on the couch. There were still a few boxes around the house that needed unpacked, but they had left the furniture when they moved to Iceland, making it easier for when they decided to come back.

"He always was a little sleazy," Ella said, joining Quinn and making her smile a little at the comment. Ella reached over and brushed a stray piece of hair out of Quinn's face. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Quinn shrugged. "About the same." Ella nodded.

"Mike tells me you were having a nightmare?" Ella asked, her brown eyes flashing the same concern Mike had given her before.

"It's fine mom," Quinn groaned. "I don't want to talk about it anymore, all right?"

"All right," Ella said, backing off just a little. "I spoke with your father this morning."

"You two are speaking?" Quinn asked. She had already apologized a million times over about keeping the secret from her mother, but Ella understood. She was more angry at Byron for putting their daughter in the position to keep such a secret.

"Mhmm," Ella nodded, though it wasn't what Quinn thought. "He has a few things to finish up over there, but he'll be back in Rosewood within the week."

"You guys made up?" Quinn asked with raised eye brows. While she hated that her parents were currently separated, she thought that was awfully fast for them to make up.

"That's not really our main concern right now," Ella started to explain and Quinn picked up on what she was hinting at; he was coming home because of her.

"God, mom," Quinn complained, getting up from the couch. "I really wish people would stop walking on egg shells around me. I'm fine!"

* * *

_Two Days Ago_

Quinn had run out of the apartment after finding out what A had done to her parents, planning on getting help. She couldn't believe that she was about to do this, but he was the only person that she knew that could really help, someone that she still trusted in spite of everything. As she was running out of the apartment building, feeling like she couldn't get there fast enough, she ran right into someone at the door to her building. It wasn't just someone though, it was three someones; Spencer, Hanna, and Emily.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Hanna asked as she and Quinn both regained their balance after Quinn had nearly taken her out.

"Going to Garrett's, what are you doing?" Quinn asked, wondering why Aria's friends were coming over so early.

"No, wait," Spencer said as Quinn tried to walk by the three of them. "You and Aria both need to see this."

The girls had brought over a flash drive, one that Emily had recovered the night before after finding a key Alison had hid in her things. She had called her friends that morning to tell them about it, unable to reach Aria so the three of them just showed up at the apartment to reveal what they had found. They were mostly videos of the girls, filmed in secret while they were changing. They were all shocked and disgusted by it, since they were only fourteen or fifteen in most of them. There were other videos too, ones that completely shocked Quinn; they were of her and Jason.

"Oh my God," Quinn gasped when she realized what it was, slamming the laptop shut; there wasn't a need to watch what was left. "How did you get these?"

"Alison had them," Spencer explained. "We think...that this might be why she was killed."

"Ian made them," Quinn concluded, remembering how Ian always had his video camera at parties, driving people crazy with it. She never imagined he would take it this far though. She went to leave the apartment again, taking the time now to actually grab her bag and keys.

"Quinn, where are you going?" Aria got to ask this time.

"I'm taking care of this," Quinn told her. "Make copies, do whatever you have to with those videos. Keep them safe for now, all right? Let me handle this."

Quinn's protective instincts for her sister as well as the other three girls were in high gear right now. This was the reason Alison was killed, it had to be. Alison had probably started blackmailing the wrong person, someone who decided to take care of their problem rather than keep quiet about it. Knowing that this would be Garrett's Saturday off, she went over to his apartment. He was staying in the apartment above the garage at his parents' while he saved up to move out on his own. Knowing that turning to Jason would expose them, putting them at risk, she decided to go to Garrett instead. Garrett was a cop, someone who cared about her, someone who she had always trusted. As she knocked on the door to his apartment though, crossing her arms as she stood outside in the cool autumn air, she began to wonder if this was such a good idea.

"Quinn?" Garrett asked in confusion as he opened the door. His eyes were sleepy, his hair messy like she had just woke him up. His wrinkled white t-shirt and jeans he just pulled on reflected that as well. "Is everything ok?" She was the last person he expected to turn up outside his door that morning, since all she did since they split up was dodge his phone calls.

"I, um, need to talk to you about something," Quinn tried to explain. From where she stood, she could see into the apartment and noticed someone, though she couldn't see who, laying on his bed. "Oh God, I'm sorry, you're with someone," Quinn said in embarrassment, turning to leave in a rush down the stairs with her face flushed.

"Wait, Quinn," Garrett said, shutting the door and hurrying after her. Whatever it was that happened, it was obviously important enough for her to show up at his apartment. As he caught up to her, he reached for her arm to stop her. "What's going on?"

"Garrett, you have a girl upstairs. I can't just-"

"Well, I'm more worried about you right now," Garrett stopped her. "What's wrong?"

Quinn opened up to him about what had been going on, not so much about A but more about Ian. She explained what she had seen the night Alison had been killed and what happened between her and Ian at the dance. Finally, she confessed to him about the videos. After explaining what they were and who she was sure had filmed them, it was obvious to her what Ian's motive had been.

"Have you told anyone else about these videos?" Garrett asked, lowering his voice.

"No," Quinn shook her head. "You're the first person I've told."

"Let's keep it that way for now," Garrett told her. "There still isn't any hard evidence linking Ian to Alison, and if he finds out you have those videos-"

"Ok," Quinn nodded quickly, not wanting him to finish that statement. "Ok, I'll keep it between us."

"Good," Garrett nodded. "Let me figure out the best way to go about this and I'll call you. All right?" Quinn seemed hesitant. "Look, Quinn, I know we don't have the best history between us right now, but I hope you know you can trust me." He took her hand. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

"I trust you," Quinn promised, though she withdrew her hand gently. Right now, he was the only person in a position of power that she could trust. There was no way she was going to Wilden with the videos, knowing somehow it would get turned around on her and she didn't know who else in the department he had on his side. After Garrett promised to help her out once more, Quinn left him to go talk to the girls again. Garrett watched her leave in her car, climbing the stairs back up to his apartment. Inside, Jenna had started to get ready on her own.

"What did _she_ want?" Jenna asked, slipping on her sunglasses.

"She has the videos," Garrett answered. Jenna was the one that Garrett had been seeing that summer when Alison had disappeared.

"You know what will happen if those videos get out," Jenna said, knowing that Garrett still cared a lot about Quinn, more than he probably cared about her. She wasn't really bothered by it though, since she was only using him anyway. "We'll all be exposed." Ian wasn't the only one that had been making videos that summer.

"I know," Garrett agreed. "But that doesn't mean we have to-"

"Just let me take care of this," Jenna said. Though Garrett wouldn't like it, she didn't care as she was more concerned about what would happen to her if those videos got out. She didn't care what happened to Quinn in the process, calling Ian to tell him as soon as she arrived home and could make the call privately. Ian assured her that he was going to take care of it and that she didn't have anything to worry about.

* * *

Quinn promised the girls that they could trust her, that she was going to take care of the situation and that they had nothing to worry about. Still not sure if it was safe to call Jason and tell him about what happened, she decided that she would still meet him that night at the festival. It wouldn't be the romantic kind of sneaking around they had pictured, but she knew that she had to tell him about what they had found and what it meant for their suspicions about Ian.

Claiming that she couldn't explain why, Quinn sent Aria alone with her car to pick up her mom and Mike from the airport. She couldn't just blow off Jason, she had to see him that night, especially after what she had seen that morning. Her nerves getting the better of her, she got to the fair earlier than they had planned to meet. Feeling on edge, she headed into the fun house, their intended meeting place. There were so many halls and passages within it, it was unlikely that anyone would find them in there. Jason hadn't arrived yet, but Ian had spotted her at the festival, going into the fun house alone. He followed her at enough distance so she wouldn't know until she turned off into a darker section of the fun house alone. With all the noise inside, it wasn't hard for him to sneak up on her.

"Ian!" Quinn shouted as she attempted to jerk away from him as he gripped her arm tightly. With all the music and other noises being made in the fun house, it was almost impossible for anyone to hear her screaming for help. "Let go of me!"

"Where are they?" Ian demanded, shoving her over and causing her to hit her head on the wall nearby. She felt the warmth of blood trickling on her forehead, feeling a bit dizzy but the adrenaline pulsing through her kept her mind clear enough as she got back up to her feet.

"Where's what?" Quinn asked sarcastically, earning herself a hit in the mouth.

"You have no idea what you've found," Ian warned her.

"I'm guessing Alison didn't either," Quinn confronted him. She was cornered, having reached a dead end in the fun house maze while Ian was blocking her only escape route. "Is that why you killed her?"

"Or maybe that's why Jason killed her," Ian offered, taking a step towards her and causing her to back against the wall. "And, when you found out, he killed you too." He smirked a little. "At least, that's what the police are going to think."

"Ian, STOP!" Quinn screamed as he grabbed for her, though it wasn't any use as she continued to struggle against him. This was his plan, to set Jason up for both Alison's and her murder, getting away with everything himself. Using everything in her, Quinn fought against Ian, eventually kicking back into his shin to get him to let go of her, stumbling forward a little as she tried to run out of the fun house. In the dark though, with flashing lights around her, it was hard to navigate.

"Someone help!" Quinn shouted, running through the maze. "Help me!"

Ian had snuck around another way, managing to block off her next way out, causing her to scream again when she saw him. He lunged for her, wrestling with her on the ground as he attempted to cover her mouth to keep her from screaming. By now, someone had heard Quinn scream for help and called the police. Without any immediate assistance though, Quinn continued to fight with Ian as he attempted to keep her quiet for good. That was when Quinn remembered the pocket knife she had kept in her jacket since the dance.

* * *

Jason showed up at the festival, later than he had intended to. He would have called Quinn to tell her, but she had her weird thing about phones now. In any case, he started to make his way across the festival to the other side where the fun house was. As he approached it, he noticed that there was a crowd gathered around it. There was no way that the fun house had attracted that much attention on it's own, it was always pretty lame as he remembered it. Getting closer though, he could see lights of from police cars flashing behind it.

"Excuse me," he stopped the first person he saw. It was Mrs. Ackard, the reverend's wife. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Oh, Jason," Mrs. Ackard said with immediate sympathy. Since the police had been called, the rumor mill at the festival had immediately started up. All it took was for someone to overhear what Quinn had said to the police when they showed up for the news about Ian to spread like wildfire. First Jason had lost his sister, now one of his best friends, who turned out to have a darker side than anyone had imagined.

"What?" Jason asked in concern.

"No one knows exactly what happened," Mrs. Ackard said gently. "But...Ian Thomas is dead."

"_What_?" Jason asked with shock in his voice, raising his eye brows.

"I guess he attacked one of the Montgomery girls, I didn't see which," Mrs. Ackard went on, unable to tell Quinn from Aria at a distance. "She fought back, but I think I saw an ambu-"

She didn't get to finish the word _ambulance_ as Jason had already taken off, knowing which of the Montgomery girls was waiting in the fun house that night. As he got closer to the fun house, the group around it was even more crowded with people trying to find out what was going on, what had exactly happened. He saw the lights from the ambulance and police cars coming from behind the fun house which was blocked off with yellow police tape.

"Quinn!" Jason shouted, pushing his way past all the people to get up to where she was. There were police dotted along the yellow tape to keep people away while they investigated; Garrett was one of them. As Jason marched up closer than anyone else to the tape as he tried to get to the ambulance, Garrett was the one to stop him.

"I can't let you back there Jason," Garrett explained to him.

"That is such bull-" Quinn could hear Jason's voice from where she was sitting on the back of the ambulance, getting the last butterfly stitch put in place on her head. She hopped up, running over to where she heard them arguing.

"Jason!" she called back, ducking under the yellow tape.

"Thank God," he hugged her tight as she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest as she started crying, her entire body shaking. "It's all right baby," he promised, smoothing a hand over her hair, trying to calm her. He knew that she was about to go into a full out panic, though he didn't blame her, piecing together what probably happened on his own. "You're all right."

"Quinn-" This was the first anyone had seen Jason and Quinn together since they had started seeing each other again.

"Just give her a minute Reynolds," Jason snapped at him. How could he try to question her at a time like this?

"We already got her statement," Garrett said, lowering his voice. "But, they're going to want to take her to the hospital to make sure she doesn't have a concussion." He nodded his head back towards where the ambulance and police cars were parked. "There's more privacy back here, if you want it."

Jason let Quinn go only to take her back behind the fun house where she wouldn't be subject to everyone in Rosewood watching her. As they got back there, with better light from the street lamp, he got a better look at her. Her lip was swollen and there was a cut on her forehead from where she had fallen. He figured that was why they were concerned about the concussion. While the ambulance had given her alcohol to wipe off her hands, there were still faint red stains from blood, as well as the stains that were all over her jacket and top.

"What did I do Jay?" she asked, her voice shaking as she looked down at her hands.

"What you had to," Jason promised, wiping the tears off her face. "Come on, I'll drive you to the hospital. All right?"

"Not just yet," they heard Darren saying as he came out of the fun house with a few other officers. "Do you think this is funny Quinn?"

"Yeah, she's laughing hysterically about it," Jason snapped at him, instinctively stepping in front of her.

"Before you start defending her, maybe you should take a look inside," Darren offered to Jason. "There's no one in there."

"What?" Jason asked, yelling at him. "You seriously think that she just made all of this up?!"

"There's not any blood, any signs of a struggle-"

"There's blood all over her!" Jason shouted. "What, do you think she just beat the hell out of herself?"

"Maybe she had some help with that," Darren smirked, insinuating this wasn't the first Jason had been there that night. Jason took an immediate step towards him but Quinn grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Jay, don't," she warned. She'd love nothing more than to see Jason fight Darren again, but there were way too many people around and they had been through enough that night.

"Yeah, _Jay_," Darren mocked, earning only a glare for now. "Get her to the hospital for her head. I'll follow to finish up questioning there."

"Fine," Jason said through his teeth, taking Quinn by the hand.

* * *

Quinn was mostly calm by the time they reached the hospital, glad they let Jason come back with her while she got checked to make sure she didn't have a concussion. While she had been banged up pretty badly, there weren't any serious injuries. Unfortunately, once Darren got there, he made Jason leave as he questioned Quinn alone in the exam room, though she gave him the same story that she told Garrett. He told her to stay in town, since right now she was a person of interest in a potential murder investigation. While she knew what happened, that Ian was dead, there wasn't any proof other than her clothing that she had hurt anyone. Once Darren was done with her, she was allowed to leave to go home. Out in the waiting room, she saw Jason right away and noticed that he was on the phone.

"No, no, no, she's ok Ella," Jason promised quickly. She had left her phone with him and, since Quinn hadn't been at the house with Aria got back with Ella and Mike, Ella was immediately worried. "They just released her, I can bring her home right now. Do you want to talk to her?" He held the phone out for Quinn to take and she began to walk with him as she talked on the phone.

"Mom?" Quinn asked, her voice immediately starting to shake again as the reality of what happened officially set in. She had killed someone.

* * *

_Present Day_

Quinn laid in her bed still, the house empty except for her mother who she could hear unpacking downstairs. Jason had texted her a few times to check on her and she gave back short answers, exhausted over the whole situation. She had started to doze off again when her phone starting ringing. Picking it up, she noticed that it was her dad calling her. Instinctively, since it was her dad and they weren't on great terms, she rolled her eyes a bit but answered anyway.

"Hello?" she answered, her voice conveying how tired she really was.

_"Hi sweetheart," _Byron said to her, his voice filled with a mix of concern and sympathy._ "I just wanted to check on you, see how you were doing."_

"Tired," Quinn answered in a monotone.

_"Mmm," _Byron nodded._ "Did your mother tell you I'll be home soon?"_

"Yep," Quinn responded. "This week." Byron sighed.

_"I don't want you to worry about anything," _Byron told her, having gotten the full story from Ella_. "I'll take care of it, all right?"_

"There's nothing for you to take care of dad," Quinn grumbled. "I'm fine." Byron was silent on the other end. "I'll see you this week, ok?"

_"All right," _Byron nodded._ "I love you Quinn."_

"You too dad," Quinn said, her voice flat as she hung up. Soon after she hung up, her phone buzzed with a new text message. She rolled her eyes again, having gotten so many messages from nosy neighbors and people she barely knew from high school trying to get in her business. There was a picture attached to it and, when she opened it, she saw that it was a picture of her pocket knife covered in blood.

_It's not over yet - A_

**thanks for reading! hope you liked it! please please let me know what you thought! :)**


	13. Aftermath

**thanks so much for the review, follows, and favorites! it means so much to me, so thank you so much! hope you all like this update :) **

_Aftermath_

Quinn couldn't believe this. Was A somehow a part of Ian disappearing? Then she realized that, of course, A was behind all of this. What if Ian and A were working together? There was no way Ian was alone in this, she had seen the damage she inflicted. The paranoia setting in, Quinn felt her chest get heavy. There was no way for her to go to the police. She was fairly certain that Garrett, the one cop she trusted, had been the one to go to Ian; she hadn't told anyone else about the tapes. With her and Jason being public now, she knew it was only slightly safer for her to talk to him about this...

"Honey," Ella said as she knocked on the door before entering and breaking her daughter's train of thought. She observed her facial expression. "Is everything ok?"

"Fine," Quinn nodded quickly. If her mom knew anything about A, Quinn could count on being locked in the house for the rest of her life, even in spite of the fact that she was over eighteen.

"Well, I'm heading over for my interview," Ella explained. She had set up an interview through a friend for a teaching job at the high school, since Ezra was leaving to start at Hollis there was going to be an open position.

"K," Quinn nodded again, seeming jumpy.

"And, I thought," Ella continued. "That I could take you to grab some take out for lunch." She smiled a little. "You could surprise Jason." Quinn knew this was really because Ella wasn't about to leave her in the house alone, but Quinn welcomed the opportunity to talk to Jason now, face to face.

"Uh, sure," Quinn agreed; just then her phone started ringing.

"And I would prefer you leave that here," Ella continued, knowing everyone in town couldn't wait to get a hold of her daughter to talk about what happened. "Or with me."

"It's just CeCe," Quinn explained, revealing the caller ID. It was indeed CeCe, the picture of them being from last summer, the blonde and brunette making drunk kissing faces at each other. "I'll answer, change, and meet you downstairs," Quinn offered.

"Ok," Ella agreed, still skeptical of everything that was going on. There was a piece missing, she knew that, but for now she trusted her daughter to come to her when she was ready.

"Hello?" Quinn answered, hearing her mom gently shut her door, beginning to root through her closet for something to wear. The weather cooling as the seasons changed to fall, she settled on skinny jeans and a dark purple sweater, black boots over her jeans. Now, the real test would be fixing her make up.

_"Hey hon,"_ CeCe sighed into the phone. _"Sorry, I didn't call you sooner. I just didn't want to be part of the mad frenzy."_

"No, it's ok," Quinn brushed it off, attempting to fix her hair but eventually settled on a pony tail.

_"So, how are you?"_ CeCe went on; she groaned._ "God, that was a stupid question."_

"It's fine Ce," Quinn insisted, applying some cover up now. "Really." CeCe sighed again.

_"Well, I want to see you!"_ CeCe told her. _"What about tonight?"_ Quinn could practically see her smile, the scheming look in her eye she got. Really, out of all the girls of Rosewood, Quinn always seemed to get along with CeCe the best. She was glad that she was back in town now, having finished school. _"Dinner and drinks?"_

"Ah, yeah," Quinn cautiously agreed. The last time she had dinner and drinks with CeCe she ended up passed out in the Kahn's backyard by their pool, somehow in the same lounge chair as CeCe, even though there were four others. Eric slept in the grass and Jason had slept on a hammock. Those were the days late in high school and early in college when they were all involved in some pretty heavy stuff, abusing more than one substance.

"I can meet you at the grille, around six?" Quinn offered.

_"Fabulous!" _CeCe grinned._ "See you then!" _

* * *

"Are you sure?" Ella asked as they drove towards the high school, having just stopped to pick up the food. Quinn had just told her about the plan to meet up with CeCe that night to get dinner. And, while CeCe was very nice and the Drakes were a very good family, Quinn always seemed to get herself into trouble when she was with this girl. She also used to get herself into trouble with Jason, but after Quinn went upstairs one night Ella and he had a long talk, about Quinn and how Jason felt about her. Jason was clean now, he was pulling himself together. And, in either case of being clean or using, he still loved Quinn more than anything.

"Mom, it's fine," Quinn insisted. "It's normal, I need normal."

"I'll drop you off," Ella decided; she still didn't want her daughter to be alone, after what happened.

"Not normal," Quinn rolled her eyes, slumping against her seat a little. "I'm twenty one years old mom."

"And in the middle of a police investigation," Ella finally snapped; Quinn didn't say anything. "Honey, I'm sorry. It's just that, as your mom, I-"

"I get it," Quinn muttered, reaching for her bag. "Just drop me off at six." If it would help her mom feel better, then fine. This wasn't another controversy she needed right now. Quinn pulled her cigarettes out of her bag, needing one desperately to take the edge off as she prepared to tell Jason what was happening.

"You know I don't like that Quinn," Ella reminded her, keeping her eyes on the road as Quinn placed the cigarette between her lips and lit it. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Quinn rolled the window down before blowing her smoke out of it. Ella didn't pursue her daughter any further on the subject.

* * *

The two parted ways at the front of the school, Ella going to the principal's office for her interview and Quinn going down the hall to find Jason's office, though she had never been there before. Ella promised to meet her outside on the steps in an hour and Quinn agreed, plastic bag of Chinese food in hand. As Quinn rounded the corner, she ran into someone and it made her jump back.

"Oh, Quinn, hi" Ezra greeted her. The halls were empty and he was on his free period. They had seen each other a few times since the dance out at the brew or the store, greeting each other politely. To say they were friends would be an exaggeration, but Quinn had to admit that he was starting to grow on her, at least as a person; she still wasn't crazy about her sister dating him.

"How are you?"

"I need to start charging people to ask me that," Quinn mumbled sarcastically. "Sorry, I just-"

"No, no, I get it," Ezra assured her and she raised her eye brows at him. "Actually, no, I don't get it at all," he said, getting her to laugh a little. "Can't imagine what it's like."

"Having everyone stare at you?" Quinn added. "Thinking your a killer, or helped a killer get away...or just a liar..." She shook her head. "I, um, shouldn't be dumping this on you. Do you know where Jason's office is?"

"Ah, yeah," Ezra nodded. "Just go down this hall, up the first stairwell, and it'll be the third door on the right."

"Great, thanks," Quinn waved, heading upstairs towards Jason's office, feeling a knot in her stomach as she made her way there as she remembered the picture on her phone. The door was closed, but unlocked as she let herself into his office which turned out to be empty. Setting the bag of food on the desk, Quinn looked around the office a little. It was small, but nice. She wondered how many students he saw, how many he helped. That's when she felt someone touching her arm, causing her to jerk away.

"It's just me," Jason promised quickly, holding his hands up as she took a deep breath, having to catch her breath after he scared her. "Sorry babe."

"It's fine," Quinn assured him, running a hand through her hair. It wasn't his fault she was so jumpy.

"This is a nice surprise," he smiled at her, shutting the door to his office. "Playing hooky?"

"Mom's orders," Quinn clarified as he started to set the food out on the desk, quiet for a moment. "Jay."

"Hm?" he asked, not looking over to her at first, but then he heard the first sniff, knowing she was going to start crying. She had been putting on an act for days, pretending that she was ok through all of this. Now everything, the videos, Ian, the police, the texts...they were all starting to overwhelm her. He turned to her, seeing her eyes already filling up.

"It's ok," Jason immediately promised her, though he knew he was full of it himself. Where was Ian? What was the next move, was it against Quinn? Her safety was being threatened and he wasn't going to have it, not if he could help it. He got her to sit in one of the two chairs in front of his desk, turning the other so he could face her. As she sat down, her slowly filling up tears turned into a full sob; she couldn't take it anymore.

"It's all right," Jason assured her again, taking her face in his hands. "I'm going to take care of it."

"Take care of it?" Quinn asked, wiping off her face. "Take care of it? Jason...God...you don't even know..."

"Know what?" Jason asked curiously. "Quinn, I think I know enough..." He trailed off as Quinn held her phone in front of his face, the message from A open. "We gotta take this to the police."

"Oh, yeah," Quinn scoffed, placing her phone back in her pocket. "Hey police officers, here's a crazy person that knows all of our secrets." She didn't need to mention what those secrets were, namely the dealing and the accident with Heather. "Not to mention the fact that Garrett's the one that told Ian I had those videos in the first place."

"What?" Jason snapped; she hadn't told him this part of the story yet and Quinn realized what she had done. "Reynolds, are you serious?"

"Jay-"

"I'm going to kill him," Jason said, getting up from where he sat.

"What, right now?" Quinn asked and he stopped, turning back to her, sighing. "We can't go to the police...we can't go to anybody."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Jason asked out loud, though he didn't expect her to know; she just tossed up her hands because she didn't know either. He went back over to sit across from her, taking both her hands. "You don't have anything to worry about, all right?"

"Are you serious?" Quinn asked, not sure who he was trying to convince.

"I'm not going to let anything happen," Jason promised, squeezing her hands. "What if you come stay with me tonight?" He had just been able to move in to his family's old house. "We can order in, unpack, just a quiet night."

"It sounds nice," she offered, knowing that he was trying and it was sweet; that, and she couldn't handle her mother and siblings walking on egg shells around her for another night. "Could, um, I meet you after dinner? I promised CeCe..."

"CeCe?" Jason asked skeptically, giving that same look her mom had before. "CeCe Drake?"

"No, the other CeCe," Quinn said sarcastically, though it wasn't mean, she half smiled when she said it. "You always liked her."

"I was stoned most of the time," Jason reminded her. He wasn't sure CeCe was someone Quinn should be spending time with, not when she was already under police scrutiny. They always managed to get into some kind of trouble, but he wasn't going to parent her over it. "But, yeah, just meet at the house, whenever you're done."

"K," Quinn smiled at him, needing just a night with her friend and then a night with her boyfriend. After everything that was going on, she needed just a bit of normal.

* * *

After they finished lunch, Quinn left to meet up with her mom to go home. Jason stayed in his office, writing up about the last student he talked with in their file. He was distracted though, thinking of what to do and how to protect Quinn. As far as they knew, Ian could still possibly be alive, getting help from A for all they knew. And, even if Ian was dead, they still had A to worry about. Hearing someone knocking on his door, Jason looked up in surprise. He didn't have another student to see until two.

"Uh, come in," he said and Aria opened the door. "Aria?"

"Can I talk to you?" she said, though she came in and shut the door, dropping her bag and taking a seat across from his desk.

"Ah, sure," Jason nodded, not sure what this was. There was the regular guidance counselor, the one that talked to kids about school, their families. He sort of specialized in the trouble teen area, mainly the ones with substance abuse issues. Aria wasn't here for that, was she? "What, um, did you want to talk about?"

"How long have you been seeing Quinn again?" Aria asked curiously. There was something off in the way that she was acting. She didn't come off as aggressive or angry, but she certainly wasn't happy.

"A couple weeks," Jason answered, unsure of what she was getting at.

"And, whenever you two go public, she starts getting in trouble again?" Aria asked.

"We were out after the Ian thing," Jason told her, seeing what she was getting at and he didn't appreciate it. "After he found out she had those videos, which I'm hoping you still-"

"They're gone," Aria stopped him. "Erased." She sighed. "Someone went into Emily's house while they were showing it for rent and erased her whole hard drive."

"There's no other copies?" Jason asked and Aria shook her head. "Dammit Aria..."

"Oh, because it's my fault?" Aria asked, then shook it off. "Look, Jason, I'm just saying my sister already has enough trouble right now-"

"I get you're worried about your sister," Jason told her. "But, I'm not going to let anything happen to her."

"Because you can control that?" Aria asked him. "Do you see where we're at with all of this?" She sighed. "A was a problem way before this year, it started with you and Quinn. And they're not going to be happy that you two are together again. And I just don't want Quinn to get hurt."

"She's not going to," Jason insisted, though Aria made some sense. "Your sister and me are better together, especially when it comes to this."

"You sure about that?" Aria asked with raised eye brows. Before Jason could reply, the bell rang, sending Aria off to her next class. "Don't let anything happen to her."

* * *

"You're here!" CeCe grinned as Quinn came into the grille, already seated at a booth and had ordered them drinks. "I got us Long Islands, hope that's ok."

"Perfect," Quinn smiled back, as this was their drink they always had together. CeCe got up and hugged her before they both sat down.

"I am _so_ happy we're doing this," CeCe said, opening her menu. "Do you still talk to anyone from high school?"

"Not really," Quinn shook her head. The group she hung out with had broken apart, in a bad way. She made a few new girl friends at school, but they were mostly just people to talk to in class, maybe drink with every once in awhile.

"Me either," CeCe agreed. "Not that I ever really liked the girls at Rosewood High." Quinn laughed in agreement. "But, it's nice to hang out with another girl instead of Eric for once."

"How is he?" Quinn asked.

"Good," CeCe nodded. "We're better now, than we were before." She smiled playfully at Quinn. "Which I'm sure you understand, considering you're back on Team Jason. How's that going?"

"It's good," Quinn said genuinely. "We're really good." She took a drink, the tea sweet but strong. "Better than before." CeCe lifted up her glass to clink with Quinn's.

"To being better than before," CeCe said before drinking with her. And the night was just starting.

* * *

Part of Jason knew that Aria was right. After all, he and Quinn had multiple conversations about it as they had started to sneak around at the cabin. Maybe it was selfish of him, and her, but they wanted to be together, to fight for what they had no matter what. For now, he was at the house alone, the tv on in the background as he started painting the living room a new shade of light blue. He wanted to change everything in that house, the colors on the wall, the set up in the rooms. Everything had to be different than it was before. That was when he heard someone stumbling around on the porch.

"Oh shit," he heard Quinn giggling. There was a second laugh, one that he recognized as CeCe's. Setting his brush down, he went over to open the door for them.

"Hey Jay," Quinn laughed and CeCe laughed too, both of them clearly wasted.

"Hi girls," he said, not overly amused by this. Quinn just went out and got drunk, in the middle of all of this? It was like their old behavior. "Are you staying CeCe?"

"No," she continued to laugh, everything being funny. "No, I just wanted to...to help Quinn..." She was slurring, making Quinn laugh more. "Get up here."

"God, did one of you drive here?" Jason snapped.

"No!" Quinn said quickly and defensively as CeCe pointed to the car by the curb.

"Eric picked us up," CeCe explained; Jason still didn't seem happy. "Anyway, I'll see you later Quinn!"

"Bye!" Quinn said, girls exchanging a kiss on the cheek before Jason took her by the hand and lead her inside. She could tell that Jason wasn't happy with her as she shut the door, leaning back against it.

"Look, Jay, I'm sorry," Quinn said. "I'm stressed...and sad...and pissed off..." Jason sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm just glad you didn't drive," he told her, not wanting to lecture her. It would only make her mad anyway right now. They both stopped, hearing someone coming up the steps on the porch again. "Probably CeCe again," Jason assured her as Quinn seemed nervous by the noise outside. Both jumped though when there was a banging on the door.

"Quinn!" Melissa shouted, pounding her fist on the door. "I saw you come back, I know you're in there!" She continued banging her fists on the door and Quinn gave Jason a nervous look and he only shrugged, not knowing what to do. "QUINN!"

**thanks for reading! hope you liked it :) more soon! **


	14. House Guests

**thanks so much for the reviews and follows! it really means so much to me to hear your feedback. hope you all like this update :) **

_House Guests_

"QUINN!" Melissa screamed, slamming her hands against the door. Jason knew that they weren't going to be able to ignore her forever. Having Quinn step out of the way, he opened the door and let Quinn hide behind it. Melissa, understandably, looked a mess. Her husband had been missing for days, having someone claim that he was dead. And, to top it off, Melissa recently found out that she was pregnant.

"Where is she?" Melissa demanded of Jason, tears streaming down her face.

"Not here," Jason told her calmly. He could hear someone next door at the Hastings house and figured it was someone coming over to get Melissa. He had been hoping to avoid any kind of confrontation with Melissa since the incident on Saturday. Even though, after everything Quinn told him, he honestly hoped the worst for Ian, it didn't make it any easier to see one of their old friends who was also Ian's new wife.

"Don't lie!" she shouted at him. "I saw her come back here with CeCe!" She wiped off her face. "Where. Is. She." She attempted to step inside but Jason kept her out. He spotted Peter Hastings and Garrett coming up his front walk. He wasn't sure exactly, but given Melissa's behavior and Garrett's presence, he had a pretty good idea of what happened.

"Melissa, you should go home," Jason encouraged her gently. He had never really liked Melissa either, he had always thought that she was really stuck up. The only reason any of them ever hung out with her was because of Ian. Given that she had married a killer, maybe even unknowingly, he felt sorry for her.

"You can't keep hiding from me Quinn!" Melissa yelled into the house in threatening, looking back to Jason. Thankfully, Peter and Garrett were just coming up the porch steps now to get her. "You're protecting a killer!"

"It sounds like you were too," Jason finally snapped at her, not appreciating that she had just shown up at his house to threaten his girlfriend. He wasn't going to let her do that. Melissa went to smack Jason, but Peter caught her and pulled her back, telling her that he was taking her home. She protested as she broke into more tears, but didn't fight as he lead her off the stairs, with Peter turning back to give Jason an apologetic look; he didn't care for Ian either at this point. Jason waved it off as Peter lead Melissa home, Garrett remaining on the porch.

"What happened Reynolds?" Jason asked.

"Is Quinn here?" Garrett asked.

"I sent her upstairs," Jason lied, noticing Quinn had sunk down on the floor as she leaned back against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Could you get her?"

"I'll tell her whatever you need me to," Jason said, not letting Garrett inside either. "What's going on?"

"They found Ian," Garrett finally admitted. "In his car, a few miles from the fairgrounds." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Even though they all knew what Ian did, it was still hard to admit that one of their best friends from high school was now dead.

"She was just defending herself," Jason immediately told Garrett, ready to fight him on it if he planned on taking Quinn in for this.

"I'm not here to arrest Quinn," Garrett held up a hand. "We were looking through Ian's office, after the allegations that he killed Alison. We, uh, we found a note, a confession really."

"About killing Ali?" Jason asked with raised eye brows and Garrett nodded. "Why would he..."

"The theory is he was going to kill himself, before he decided to pin it on you and kill Quinn," Garrett explained. "There were plenty of people that saw him follow her into that fun house." He shrugged. "We all know it was self defense. And, given what he did..."

"No one cares anyway," Jason finished for him and Garrett nodded. "Well, um, thanks for coming by and telling me. I'll be sure to tell Quinn." Garrett nodded.

"You know you can trust me Jason," Garrett reminded him. "I'm not going to let anything happen to her either." Jason laughed a little. "That's funny to you?"

"Given that you're the one she told about the videos?" Jason asked. "And then Ian suddenly finds out that she has them? Yeah, I think that's funny." He shook his head, shutting the door without a goodbye. Quinn remained seated on the floor and Jason sat next to her, reaching over and taking her hand.

"I actually killed someone," Quinn said softly and Jason squeezed her hand.

"The guy that killed my sister," Jason assured her. "And who was going to kill you." He kissed her head. "It's all right Quinn."

* * *

Quinn was at her mother's house a few days later. Ella hadn't been hired to start until next week and Mike was at school, Jason at work. Quinn had taken the day off classes again, at Ella's suggestion but she didn't disagree. Today was Ian's funeral, with Aria being the only Montgomery in attendance as she went to support Spencer. Ella had given Veronica and Peter her condolences but the feelings between the three of them were about the same; no one cared what happened to Ian, the Hastings were only sympathetic to Melissa's depression. Quinn was laying on the couch where her mother was seated, running her hand over her daughter's hair. It always comforted Quinn when she was little.

"Was I wrong mom?" Quinn asked quietly.

"No," Ella told her. "No, not at all honey." She was going to go on, but there was a knock at the door. Silently promising herself if it was another cop or reporter she was going to slam the door in their face, Ella got up to answer it. She was surprised, however, to see that it was her estranged husband.

"Byron," she said in surprise, letting him in. "We weren't expecting you until the weekend."

"I got an earlier flight," he explained as he noticed Quinn sitting up now. "Hi sweetheart."

"Hey dad," Quinn said as he came over to sit with her. She didn't have it in her right now to be mean to him like she had been. And, in any case, the secret was out and Ella had thrown him out of the house. Why keep punishing him? "Did you need the keys?" Since he wasn't going to be staying at the house and the lease wasn't up on Quinn's apartment, he was going to be staying there.

"I'm not really worried about that right now," Byron told her, looking his daughter over. Over the course of a few days, her cuts and bruises had started to fade. It was evident that the emotional scars were still there though.

"Dad," Quinn whimpered, her eyes filling up with tears as he pulled her in to hug her.

* * *

"Did you talk to Quinn yet?" Emily asked Aria after the funeral was over, the crowd starting to thin out. "About the video?" The night before, the girls got another A message, telling them to go to the cemetery. That was when they saw the rest of the video, the one that made them think that Ian had killed Alison. It showed her getting up, kissing Ian goodbye, and walking away unharmed. By now, they had also figured out that the suicide note that Ian left was actually written by A as it was comprised of messages that A had previously sent them.

"Are you kidding?" Aria laughed a little, keeping her voice low. "She's already a wreck as it is. Better she doesn't know Ian might not have even killed Alison."

"Besides, we don't even know that it wasn't still Ian," Spencer pointed out logically. "Who's to say Ian didn't wait for Alison in the woods somewhere?"

"I guess," Emily nodded in agreement. "But, the note..."

"Is that Jason?" Hanna asked, nodding over to a bench that was a few yards away from the funeral. It was him, he had left work to check out the funeral, to get closure for himself. It was hard to believe, that his best friend had murdered his sister and tried to kill his girlfriend. Aria told her friends that she would be right back, going over to see what Jason was doing.

"Hey," he nodded quietly at her.

"Does my sister know you're here?" Aria asked him and he raised his eye brows at her.

"I'm not going to keep it from her, if that's what you're asking," Jason informed her and Aria was quiet; maybe she shouldn't keep snapping on him about her sister, at least not right now. "Just needed some closure, that's all."

"I know what you mean," Aria agreed, sitting with him. "I'm just glad it's all over." She knew that was a lie, they were still getting messages from A and it was looking like Ian might even be innocent.

"Me too," Jason nodded, fiddling with something in his hands. Aria hadn't noticed it before, but it was a piece of paper.

"What is that?" Aria asked curiously.

"Ah," Jason hesitated, not intending for her to see it. "Keep this between us?"

"Sure," Aria said, though she wasn't sure what it could be. What would Jason want to keep between the two of them, to not share with her sister? She realized what it was when he handed her the note. An A message reading I know what you did.

"I thought," Jason confessed. "That...I might have done something, to Ali." He sighed. "When I was drunk, I could fly off the handle. And we had been fighting that whole summer..." Aria remembered that, and now she understood more knowing that Ali had been blackmailing Jason and Quinn. "But, with Ian's confession, now I know." He shook his head. "Must have been a sick joke by that A person."

"You didn't want my sister to think you were a killer?" Aria asked suspiciously and Jason nodded. "Um...wow...ok." She looked Jason over. "Why not tell her about it now?"

"She'll just get upset," Jason tried to explain. "If she found out I hid something like that from her." Aria nodded in understanding; her sister didn't need anything else on her plate right now.

* * *

Two weeks went by and things, very slowly, tried to make their way back to normal. At least, as normal as they could be. After all, Byron had officially moved out and was living in a somewhat crappy apartment building that was truly meant for college students. Quinn still wasn't having the best time trying to get to sleep at night and felt like everyone was still staring at her everywhere that she went. It didn't help that her sister was edgy around her for some unknown reason, her mother still hovering. At least Mike was trying to act normally around her. There were some good things though.

Her and Jason were getting back into their rhythm, being close and couple like as they had been before the break up. Now that they were out, they didn't have to hide anymore which was great. Quinn spent a lot of nights over at the house with Jason, helping him with painting and rearranging. The nights she didn't stay over there, he usually found himself staying at the Montgomery house with her. The night before, Jason had taken her out on their first real date since they got back together and she had stayed over with him.

Since Jason was the only one living there, he picked out whichever room he wanted, which turned out to be the master room his parents used to have. After all, it was technically his house now. And, he didn't want to be back in his old room, it brought too much back about that summer, especially since it was right across the hall from Ali's old room. He avoided that part of the house for now. That morning, he started to slowly wake up, thinking that he heard someone downstairs but he brushed it off as his imagination as he moved over closer to Quinn, putting his arm over her. As the door to the room opened, however, both of them jumped awake at the sound of that as well as a woman's voice.

"Oh my God!" the woman gasped as both Jason and Quinn jolted awake, Quinn scrambling to pull the sheets over herself.

"Mom?!" Jason snapped at the sight of her with her suitcase. He didn't remember her saying that she was coming, but then he remembered the fashion show was that week and she was coming to stay at the house, without his father.

"I'm sorry," Jessica blushed, turning her head away. "I just-"

"Mom!" Jason cut her off and she hurried out the door, shutting it quickly behind her. Jason groaned, falling onto his back against the pillows, looking over at Quinn who was bright red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he told her. "I forgot she was coming."

Jason and Quinn both got up and got ready for work and classes. Heading downstairs now, Quinn moving a little more slowly because she wasn't too anxious about seeing Jason's mom, they heard Jessica in the kitchen. It both sounded and smelled like she was cooking. Getting into the kitchen now, she turned and smiled at them as she moved the last of the pancakes over to a plate.

"Breakfast?" Jessica smiled at the two of them, acting like nothing happened.

"I have to go to class," Quinn said, trying to leave but Jason caught her by the strap of her bag, pulling her back and shaking his head. If he had to deal with this right now, so did she.

"In an hour," he reminded her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about before," Jessica continued as if she just remembered what happened earlier, which Quinn felt was going to be the most life scarring part of her day. She knew that Mrs. DiLaurentis hadn't always liked her very much. She wasn't the nice girl that Jessica hoped would turn her son around, Quinn got herself into plenty of trouble too. "It was just a reflex, going into that room." She smiled at them a little. "But, obviously, it's Jason's house now. And, you're the couple, not me."

"Mom," Jason stopped her, partly because she didn't need to go on about this and partly because he was confused.

"I didn't want to spring this on you yet," Jessica sighed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "But, um, your father and I have decided to separate."

_This is quite the morning,_ Quinn thought to herself as she glanced over at Jason who didn't look at that surprised. After all, his parents had been having a lot of problems since Alison's disappearance, and then especially after they found her body.

"I'm really sorry Mrs. D," Quinn said quickly.

"Oh, sweetie," Jessica smiled warmly at her. "You know you can call me Jessica." She turned and grabbed the plate of food. "Come on, let's all sit down."

"Mom," Jason said as they all went over to the table to have a seat. "Are you coming back to Rosewood?"

"Not yet," she shook her head. "I'm still not ready for that." She gave him a small smile. "You don't have to worry about me moving back in here with you."

"That's not what I meant," Jason said as Quinn felt herself blushing again.

"Oh, Quinn, it's nothing to be embarrassed about," Jessica brushed it off, biting into her pancakes. "I know it's certainly not the first time you've slept over here."

"Mom," Jason complained.

"Yeah, I might hit traffic on the way to Hollis," Quinn said at the same time, getting up from the table and grabbing her bag. "I'll, uh, see you all later." Quinn left the house quickly, grateful that she didn't have to spend another minute at that awkward breakfast. As she got into her car, she felt her phone vibrating in her bag. After turning her car on, she pulled her phone out to see what it was.

_Quite the awkward morning, huh?_  
_Maybe we can turn your afternoon around_

Attached was a picture of Aria and Ezra with a red X through it. What did A want her to do? Then, there was a second message.

_If you want to keep Jason, get rid of Ezra_

* * *

"What does Mrs. DiLaurentis want to see us for?" Hanna asked. The girls had gathered at the grille that night, waiting for Ali's mom to arrive. She had sent them all a text, asking them to meet her there to talk about something. The other girls shrugged, not really sure what this was about either but they figured it had something to do with the fashion show.

"Have you talked to your sister yet?" Spencer asked impatiently. Ever since Aria told her friends about the note, they were getting even more suspicious of Jason and the part he might have played in Alison's murder. Maybe Ian was innocent all along, of the murder at least, and Jason was the one to blame.

"No," Aria said in annoyance. "Look, guys, there's no way I'm going to be able to just dump this on her." She sighed in frustration. "What would I even say to her?"

"Hey Quinn, your boyfriend might be a psycho that killed his sister?" Hanna offered and Emily nudged her arm, giving her a look for being insensitive.

"We don't know that," Emily offered sympathetically since they all knew that Quinn was having a hard time.

"We know that Ian might not have done it," Spencer jumped in. "We know that Jason got that note, and we know Alison was blackmailing him and your sister that whole summer." Aria had finally admitted all of her sister's secrets to her friends. "Maybe he finally snapped and-"

"Shh!" Aria said, seeing Jessica coming in.

* * *

At dinner, the girls and Jessica talked a lot about the fashion show. Jessica wanted them to do a tribute for Alison, the girls wearing dresses that Alison had picked out for the show before she had disappeared. The girls were a little put off by the idea, feeling strange wearing Alison's things, but they knew that it would be a nice thing to do, a tribute for their best friend.

Aria got home that night, being dropped off by Hanna. Her sister's car was there, as well as Jason's, but her mother's wasn't. She remembered over hearing Ella saying that she was seeing Veronica that night, probably to talk about what were to happen if she decided that she wanted to divorce Byron rather than remain separated. Inside, she spotted Mike sitting on the couch with someone, playing video games. Then, she realized that it was Jason.

"Hey," Aria said, barely noticed by either of them.

"Hey," Jason nodded at her, Mike only nodding and barely acknowledged her.

"Is mom at the Hastings?" Aria asked her brother.

"Mmm, yeah," Mike finally nodded after thinking about it for a moment.

"Quinn's upstairs," Jason added, neither of the boys taking their eyes off the tv.

"Uh huh," Aria said, rolling her eyes at the two of them before going upstairs to find her sister in her room, studying. Quinn was curled up against the pillows, textbook in her lap as she highlighted important notes. Hearing her sister coming into the room, she looked up and smiled.

"Hey," Quinn said as her sister sat on the edge of her bed. "How was dinner?"

"Weird," Aria told her. "Mrs. D brought some of Ali's clothes for us...to wear."

"She really is something," Quinn muttered to herself, appreciating some of Jessica's comments from that morning a little less every time she thought about them. When she glanced up from her book, Aria was giving her a confused look. "I can, um, kinda see where's she's coming from though. Ali loved that show."

"She did," Aria agreed. "Is...Jason staying tonight?"

"Ah, I think so," Quinn nodded, going back to studying. "Did you see him and Mike down there?" She laughed a little. "They're so cute."

"I guess," Aria shrugged, not really seeing it. "Can I..."

"I'm really glad Mike has him to hang out with," Quinn continued, not catching that her sister had wanted to say something. "I mean, older sisters aren't the same as talking to another guy. And, you know." Quinn shrugged. "Stuff's been really hard around here lately."

"If you think Jason's a good role model," Aria grumbled, thinking of the note and lie that he had told her sister; she caught Quinn giving her a confused look.

"He's cleaner than I am," Quinn pointed out, a bit annoyed. Who was her sister to judge relationships? Thinking of this made her recall A's text from earlier that day, telling her that she had to break up Aria and Ezra if she wanted to keep Jason safe. She knew what A wanted it to feel like, that she was choosing Jason over Aria, her happiness over her sister's. Was Quinn a bad person for wanting her sister and Ezra apart? She really was only worried about her sister's well being, since student/teacher relationships never ended well.

"Hey," Jason knocked on the door, breaking the awkward silence between the girls. "Me and Mike were going to order pizza, didn't know if you wanted in?"

"I already ate," Aria muttered, getting up from her sister's bed to leave. There was no way she could talk to Quinn about Jason now.

"What's with her?" Jason asked, though part of him already knew.

"I think she's upset about the show," Quinn told him. "Your mom's setting up a tribute for Ali, I think it's just hard for them."

"I can talk to her," Jason offered.

"No," Quinn shook her head. "I think it's a good idea." She gave a sad half smile. "Closure and all."

"Right, closure," Jason agreed, remembering going to the funeral a few weeks before. That was what everyone around here needed, but couldn't seem to find.

* * *

That weekend was the fashion show, with most of Rosewood in attendance. Quinn had always hated going to the fashion show. In high school, she only ever went because CeCe was in it and she dragged her there to watch. Then, when Aria and her friends got older, she was always around to support them. Tonight, however, just gave her an awkward feeling. Both of her parents were there, sitting on opposite sides of the room from each other. Of course Jessica was there, giving her disapproving looks when she thought Quinn wasn't looking, smiling when she was. Out of the corner of her eye, Quinn spotted Ezra talking to some of the other faculty; Aria must have invited him. Feeling her phone vibrating in her clutch, she didn't have to check to know who it was, knowing it was A reminding her of what she had to do.

_You're good at breaking hearts Quinn_  
_Remember last summer?_

"Hey," Quinn said, squeezing Jason's hand to get his attention. They had been talking to Jessica, but she had been called over by Peter to talk about something. Jason was watching them curiously, wondering what was going on between the two of them.

"Hm?"

"I'll be right back," Quinn said, kissing his cheek. "I'll catch up with you at our seats."

"K," Jason shrugged, not wondering where she was going; he didn't know she was still getting texts from A, even after they found Ian. Quinn crossed the room, her heels clicking against the hard floor as she smoothed her hand over the skirt of her little black dress. This was going to be so awkward, but she knew what she had to do. After all, she would do anything to keep Jason safe. And, really, she didn't think that her sister should be together with Ezra. She kept telling herself this as if breaking her sister's heart was going to be any easier.

"Hey," Quinn said, getting Ezra to look over at her. "Can I talk to you?"

"Ah, sure," Ezra nodded, excusing himself from the others and following her off to the side. "You want a drink, or..."

"I'm trying to do that less," Quinn waved him off. He couldn't be nice to her, not right now. And she knew that Jason didn't like it when she drank too much, given that she never seemed to know her stopping point. "I need to talk to you..." She lowered her voice. "About Aria."

"I know she's been upset about this new job," Ezra explained, having trouble with Aria lately and thinking that was what Quinn meant. "I think she's afraid something's going to happen, but I hope she knows what an opportunity this is-"

"She won't," Quinn cut him off. "Because she's a child." She kept her voice quiet. "Ezra, she's _sixteen_. Ok? And, even when she's eighteen, she's never going to be on the same page as you."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ezra asked in confusion.

"Because she's my sister," Quinn said. "And you're my friend." She knew that was certainly a stretch, but she went with it anyway. "This isn't going to end well, for anyone. And I don't want either of you to get hurt."

"I, um, appreciate your concern Quinn," Ezra said. "But, we're happy with how things are right now."

"You can't be happy having to hide in your apartment," Quinn said back. "I did the sneaking around thing, for about a month, and I hated it."

"Well, that's you," Ezra said, trying to walk away but Quinn stepped in front of him.

"I don't want this to end badly Ezra," Quinn said, her tone changing.

"Are you," Ezra said, hesitating as he studied her. "Threatening me?"

"If you don't take care of this, I'll have my parents do something about it," Quinn said quickly, getting it out. He looked at her in complete shock. "I'm sorry, I just...can't let this keep going on." She shook her head. "I won't live with secrets anymore."

There was an announcement over head, telling everyone to take their seats because the show was about to start. Quinn turned and hurried over to where she was supposed to sit with Ella, Jessica, and Jason. The moms sat together, chatting as they waited for the show to start while Jason sat on the other side of his mother, patiently waiting for Quinn to come fill the empty seat.

"What was that?" Jason asked, having seen her talking with Ezra. He wasn't jealous, but he was a bit concerned as it looked like a serious conversation.

"Um, I'll explain later," Quinn brushed it off as the music started and the show began.

**thanks for reading! hope you liked the update, i'd love to hear your thoughts! :)**


	15. Confessions

**thanks so much for the reviews! :) it really means so much to me so thanks! hope you like this update :) **

_Confessions_

"So," Jason said, his voice low as they continued to watch the fashion show, the girls walking by all smiles in their various outfits. "You wanna tell me why you're acting so weird?" Quinn sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to let up. As Jason continued clapping, Quinn stopped to pull her phone from her clutch, revealing the text message from A that told her to keep Jason safe, she had to get rid of Ezra.

"What," Jason scoffed, continuing to whisper. "A wants you to off the high school English teacher?"

"More like they want me to break him and my sister up," Quinn mumbled, earning a shocked look from Jason. "I know," she waved her hand to brush it off, indicating that she didn't want to talk about it right now as she went back to clapping as well, smiling as her sister went by though her stomach sank. This was going to be quite a night.

It was a crazier night than Quinn had ever imagined though. The girls gathered on stage together in Ali's dresses for her tribute, slow music playing and pictures of Alison showing. That was when the rock music started blaring, nearly making Quinn jump out of her seat as well as others at they were all surprised by it. The serene background behind Alison's pictures were replaced with fire. Spencer ran off stage, trying to turn the music off while Emily and Hanna ran away backstage. Aria stood there, like a deer caught in the headlights. The music stopped, the pictures going away, silence over taking the room. Jessica got up to leave when the whispering started, Aria still standing there in shock. While Jason got up to follow his mother, Quinn got up and motioned for her sister to follow her.

"Someone must have switched it in my bag," Aria said as her and her sister found the other girls backstage. "It wasn't...I wouldn't..."

"No, we know," Emily assured her, all of them knowing that Aria wouldn't do that to Ali's tribute, none of them would.

"I'm going to try to call Mrs. D," Quinn said, stepping off to side with her phone to try to call Jason, remembering the distraught expression on Jessica's face as she fled the building. With her sister gone, Aria turned to Emily and Hanna.

"Guys," she said with concern in her voice. "What if it was Jason?" Emily shook her head.

"Why would Jason mess with his sister's tribute?" Emily asked gently, since she was a bit tired of the Jason theory, while Spencer and Hanna fully agreed with Aria.

"He knew I was making it, he saw me on my computer the other night," Aria explained. "He's been staying at my house almost every night-"

"To watch out for your sister," Emily added.

"But that's the whole point," Hanna jumped in now. "Jason _loves_ Quinn, right? And Ali was threatening her and was going to get her in huge trouble, when..."

"Ali disappeared," Aria filled in for her, both giving Emily a look that said it was obvious Jason was part of it as Spencer came over to join them.

"What's going on?" Spencer asked, reading her friends' expressions.

"Jason switched the tributes on Aria the other night while he stayed at their house," Hanna informed her and Emily shook her head at her.

"You don't know that," she insisted. "All I'm say is there was a point when Spencer looked guilty, and Toby. And, by Aria's logic, Quinn looks guilty too."

"But my sister would _never_..." Aria trailed off as Quinn came back over to meet them. "Hey," she gave a half smile as Quinn joined their circle. "How's Mrs. DiLaurentis?"

"I didn't talk to her," Quinn shook her head. "Jason said she was too upset, he's taking her home."

"Do you guys need a ride?" Spencer offered nicely since Ella had already taken Mike back to the house.

"That's really nice Spence, thanks," Quinn smiled warmly at her, accepting the ride. The girls split up, Hanna leaving with Caleb and Emily finding her mom to go home. Spencer, Aria, and Quinn left for the parking lot, mostly in silence. The only noise present was Quinn clicking away on her cell phone, and it could be assumed she was texting Jason. Already having plans to meet up with Ezra that night, Aria got Spencer to drive her across town to his apartment before she turned to take Quinn back to the house, the car ride still quiet.

"So, how's Jason?" Spencer asked, seeming like she was just being nice but she was extremely suspicious of the older DiLaurentis now that it looked like Ian hadn't killed Alison. It was clear he had a motive, protecting his and Quinn's secrets.

"He's good," Quinn smiled. "I mean, considering." Spencer nodded. "So, Aria tells me you're seeing Toby." She grinned at Spencer. "How's he?"

"Good," Spencer said, reflecting Quinn's answer about Jason. "My dad, um, hired him to do some remodeling work for us."

"That's nice," Quinn said, relaxing in her seat. "Are you girls...still getting messages?"

"No," Spencer said. "Nothing since, um, we figured out Ian's note was made up of A texts." Quinn turned to look at her in confusion.

"Wait, what?" Quinn asked in surprise. "A wrote that suicide note?"

"Ah," Spencer said nervously, hesitating as she was for once at a loss for words. She thought that Aria would have told Quinn about this at least, even if she hadn't told her about the Jason theory.

"You mean I killed someone," Quinn continued, starting to panic. One thing that helped her sleep was at least knowing the person that killed Alison was out of their lives. "That didn't even do anything?"

"He was still trying to kill you," Spencer reasoned, pulling over as Quinn continued to freak out. "He was going to hurt you Quinn, you were defending yourself." She looked Quinn over as she started to calm down. "Ok?"

"Ok," Quinn nodded in agreement, taking a breath.

"All right, then let's get to your place," Spencer said, starting to drive again.

"Actually," Quinn said. "Could you drop me off at Jason's on the way to your house?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Spencer asked, still skeptical of Jason and Quinn looked at her curiously. "Just, with Mrs. DiLaurentis being so upset and all..."

"I'm sure she's already upstairs," Quinn brushed it off. She wanted to see Jason, she needed to talk to him.

* * *

Spencer laid awake that night, the details of Alison, that night, Ian, and A swirling through her mind. A was making it look like Ian had killed Alison. Why? Maybe because A and Alison's killer were the same person. Ian had a motive for killing Ali though, the videos that he took of all of them that she had found and blackmailed him with. Who else would have a motive to kill Alison? Jason would, but so would Quinn by that logic. Were Quinn and Jason in on this together? Spencer jumped at the sound of her phone, an SOS from Aria. Spencer didn't even ask what was wrong, but knew that Aria must need a ride as she snuck out to meet her outside of Ezra's building.

"What happened?" Spencer asked as a tearful Aria climbed into the front seat of her car.

"He broke up with me," Aria sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"What?" Spencer asked in shock. The last she talked to Aria about their English teacher, things were going great, save that he was leaving to work at Hollis and that seemed to make Aria nervous. "Why?"

"I don't know," Aria said, her eyes welling up again and her voice shaking. "He's afraid of getting caught I guess, he doesn't want me to get into any trouble." She was twisting her hands in her lap. "I think it's really over this time Spence." They had blow ups before, not talking for a few days, but this was different. There was something serious in his eyes, telling her that it was over.

Spencer took Aria back to her house with her, already being Aria's excuse for the night anyway. The next morning, letting Aria continue to sleep, Spencer got dressed and went downstairs to meet Toby outside. He said that he had something important to tell her, about something that had happened the last time he was working at her house. Meeting him on the edge of her yard, he explained to her that he had found an old field hockey stick buried on the property line, her father acting jumpy when he saw it. Remembering something, Spencer thanked him and kissed his cheek before flying back into the house, jumping on to the bed to wake Aria with a jolt.

"What the hell?" Aria grumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "Coffee would have woke me up just fine Spence."

"Do you remember the big fight last summer?" Spencer immediately asked her. They always referred to it as the _big fight_, one of the times that an argument between Jason and Alison actually turned violent.

* * *

_Flashback - last summer_

"I thought your sister was over here," Spencer commented to Aria as the two of them sat on Alison's bed. Aria and Spencer were at the DiLaurentis house, waiting for Alison to finish getting ready before they went to meet up with Hanna and Emily at the grille. Alison was standing next to her bed at her dresser, putting on her make up in the mirror that sat on top of it.

"She's probably down the hall," Alison rolled her eyes as she applied her mascara. "Making a bunch of junior addicts."

"Ali," Spencer snapped at her, glancing over at Aria who shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry," Alison smirked over at Aria. "Junior alcoholics too."

"That's not funny Ali," Aria told her.

"Please, _they_ are a joke," Alison scoffed, referring to Jason and Quinn. The girls were silent as Alison finished off her look, putting on the last touches. That was when they heard Jason's bedroom door whip open across the hall, then they could hear Quinn saying_ Jason don't_. He stormed across the hall, throwing Alison's door open with such force it made the other girls jump; Alison didn't seem phased as she looked at her brother's reflection in the mirror.

"Knock much?" Alison asked sarcastically. Out in the hall, Aria could see her sister watching uncomfortably, wondering what she had caused as Jason was red in the face angry.

"Do you think you're funny?" Jason snapped at her.

"Hilarious," Alison smirked at him as she turned now. "Why am I so funny this time?"

"Your little threats and text messages are going to _stop_," Jason told her angrily. "I don't care what you say to me, but leave her out of it."

"I thought we weren't going to tell my brother," Alison said to Quinn who was in the doorway now, then shrugged. "Well, I guess I can tell your sister now." She turned to Aria. "Earlier this summer, your sister-" Alison was cut off as she had to drop to the floor. Jason had grabbed Spencer's field hockey stick that Alison had been borrowing and whipped it across the room at her head. Since she just managed to duck, it hit her dresser instead, knocking over her mirror and make up.

"What the hell?!" Alison asked, phased now as her brother had never actually come after her like that before.

"Oh my God," Spencer was gasping at the same time.

"Jason, stop it," Quinn pleaded, stepping into the room in front of him as she tried to push him out of the room as he was trying to go in further after his sister.

"I won't miss next time!" Jason warned her as Quinn nearly dragged him out of the room.

* * *

"Toby found that stick buried in the yard," Spencer continued, as Aria rubbed her forehead, this story being told this early to her making her head hurt. "You remember, Jason snapping on Ali like that. I really think-"

"Ok, Spencer, slow down," Aria begged her, running a hand through her hair. "I mean, we don't know-"

"We do know!" Spencer insisted, wondering why Aria was backing off of this idea now; just last night she had thought Jason had switched the tribute videos. "Aria, Jason is _crazy_ about your sister. All right? He's put not one, but _two_ cops in the hospital over her. _Cops_, Aria. And Alison had some serious dirt on Quinn. Your sister could go to jail over that stuff!"

"We need something else," Aria shook her head.

"Else?" Spencer asked in shock. "_Else_, what else is there?"

"I don't know!" Aria snapped back. "But right now you're telling me that my sister has a _murderer_ for a boyfriend, one that basically lives at my house part time. So, we're going to need something else."

"Fine," Spencer gave in. "Maybe we can talk to Garrett, see what he remembers from that summer."

"No way," Aria shook her head. "He's the one that told Ian about the videos, remember?" She threw up her hands. "See, there's a reason Garrett might have done it too."

"What if it was all of them?" Spencer asked quietly. "That whole group?"

"What," Aria scoffed. "Jason, Quinn, Ian, Garrett, and Melissa?" Spencer nodded. "You really think that our sisters would-"

"Maybe they wouldn't do it," Spencer stopped her. "But it's Jason and Ian, they would definitely cover for them." Aria sank down on the bed, back against the pillows as this hit her. What if Quinn knew what happened to Alison all along? "Look, I'm supposed to pack up the rest of Ian's stuff today. Help me go through it, we'll see what we find."

"Ok," Aria finally agreed. "Yeah, all right."

* * *

It was Sunday afternoon, with Quinn spending a lazy day around the house. Her mom had gone out to run some errands, leaving her at the house with the boys. She laid on the one couch, casually flipping through a magazine while Jason and Mike were playing video games again. Eventually, Mike got a text to meet up with some friends, so he left Jason and Quinn alone. Jason got up, going over to the couch Quinn was laying on, lifting up her head so she could lay it against his leg.

"What's on your mind?" he asked her, running a hand through her hair.

"Nothing," she shook her head, looking at her magazine still.

"Oh yeah?" he mused with a smile. "Because every time I've look over here the last half hour you've been staring at the same page of..." He looked closer at the magazine. "Finding your perfect shade of lip gloss."

"I'm really interested," Quinn ignored him, still looking. He took the magazine from her, leaning his head over hers. "What?"

"You what," Jason asked.

"Just everything," she sighed, giving in now as Jason continued to stroke her hair. "The whole A suicide note..."

"Doesn't change what Ian was going to do to you," Jason reminded her for what felt like the one hundredth time.

"Breaking up my sister's relationship," Quinn continued.

"With a teacher," Jason pointed out. "And you knew it was wrong and she would have caught so much trouble for that."

"It's not going to make me feel less guilty when I have to see her later," Quinn mumbled, her sister not texting her the night before, but A texting her the confirmation of the break up.

"I know," Jason promised her. "But, babe, I'm not worrying about that stuff." Quinn looked up at her in confusion. "You're here and you're ok. Given what's happened in this town, that counts for a lot."

* * *

"But it wouldn't make sense," Aria said as they sorted through Ian's boxes of stuff in the Hastings living room. "If A killed Alison, and Quinn knows about who killed her, why would A torment her so much?"

"Then maybe they're different people," Spencer waved her off, continuing to look in the boxes for that extra something that Aria wanted. They bounced back and forth between theories, whether or not A had a part in killing Ali. "Or maybe your sister doesn't know, I don't know..."

"Then who says it's Jason?" Aria asked as Spencer at on the couch, looking at one of Ian's old yearbooks.

"Look at this," Spencer said, showing Aria the signatures page. It was from Jason to Ian, saying _NAT forever_. "What's NAT?" she asked and Aria shrugged as Spencer flipped back through the pages. Under each of their pictures was written NAT club. And, just as she suspected, the same club was listed under Garrett's picture. However, there was no club description in the back.

"What is NAT?" Spencer repeated, sifting through the boxes. Eventually, she found a shirt with NAT spelled out and she looked up the meaning in Latin.

"We see all?" Aria asked curiously, reading over her friend's shoulder and Spencer looked at her seriously.

"The videos."

* * *

Quinn continued to lay on the couch with her head in Jason's lap, feeling herself drifting off into a nap. She shook her head to wake herself though, not wanting to sleep now or it would be even harder for her to fall asleep that night. As she sat up, yawning a bit as she stretched, Jason was giving her a certain look. She could tell that he wanted to ask her something but didn't know how to.

"What Jay?" she laughed, always able to read him.

"Do you want to move into the house with me?" he asked her quickly, getting it out since he was nervous; she looked at him in surprise. "It's just, we're spending every night together anyway. We could have a place on our own?"

"Yeah," Quinn smiled, nodding excitedly.

"Really?" Jason smiled back.

"Yes," she repeated, kissing him once. "I would love that." Jason grinned, pulling her in to kiss her. A ring at the door bell broke them up, Quinn groaning as she got up to answer it. Seeing who it was, she rolled her eyes.

"What Darren?" she asked sarcastically. "I seriously have _nothing_ else to tell you."

"This isn't about Ian," Wilden informed her with a smirk, seeming happy to deliver this news to her. "I'm going to need you to come down to the station with me to answer a few questions." Jason appeared at the door now and Darren nodded at him. "You too."

"About what?" Jason asked.

"About a hit and run that took place last summer," Wilden said. "Anonymous tip says you might know something about it."

**hope you liked the update! :) i would love to hear what you thought! more soon :)**


	16. Breaking Point

**thanks so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! :) it really means so much to me! hope you like this update :) **

_Breaking Point_

Quinn sat nervously in Jason's car, as they were allowed to drive themselves to the police station. After all, they weren't being arrested for anything. Jason promised her again and again that they didn't have anything to worry about. If they had any proof that they were the ones that hit that girl, they would already be in handcuffs. There was no way that there would be any evidence. There weren't any witnesses; if there were, someone would have said something in the last year and a half. They left no evidence at the scene, they had the car fixed out of state the next day.

"He's just trying to harass us," Jason insisted as he parked the car. "Trying to get a rise out of us." He reached over and tucked a piece of hair behind Quinn's ear. "Don't let him get to you." Quinn's phone buzzed with a text message, which she immediately showed to Jason.

_Karma's a bitch, just like you ;) - A_

_Great_, Quinn thought. If she hadn't broken up Ezra and Aria, Jason would have gotten hurt. Now, she had hurt her sister in the process, so A was going to make her pay for that? There was no way she could win. Following Jason up the steps to the station, she felt him take her hand.

"It's fine," he promised her as they went inside. Garrett was at his desk, watching them as they came in. Darren was waiting for them by his office.

"Miss Montgomery," he said as she and Jason came over. "I'll speak with you first." He nodded his head over. "Have a seat Jason." Jason squeezed her hand before releasing her, giving her another reassuring look._ It's going to be fine_, he was practically shouting at her with his eyes.

"So, Quinn," Darren said as she took a seat across from him at his desk. "I just have a few questions for you..."

"No interrogation room?" Quinn asked, remembering the last time she came in for questioning.

"You're not under arrest," Darren said, pulling a packet out of a folder. "Just wondering what you know about this." He handed her an internet article that was about the girl, Heather, from last summer with a blue sticky note attached.

_Ask Quinn Montgomery_

"So, I'm asking you," Darren continued as she set the papers back on his desk. "What do you know about this girl?"

"I think she went to school with Jason," Quinn shrugged, hoping she was coming off as calm because right now she felt like she was going to throw up. Even if there wasn't any hard proof, they were definitely on the police radar now as far as this accident went.

"She did," Darren nodded. "She was walking back from the library during finals week when she got hit by a car."

"I remember hearing about that," Quinn nodded. "It was awful."

"You stayed with Jason during his finals week?" Darren asked curiously. "Must have been very..._distracting_." Quinn rolled her eyes.

"I was done the week before, so I decided to visit then come home with him," Quinn explained.

"And what were you doing," Darren said, looking at the article. "On Saturday, the tenth?"

"Ah," Quinn acted like she was trying to remember. "Saturday there was a party in Jason's dorm. So, we went to that."

"Were you drinking?" he asked and she shook her head at him.

"Pretty sure we've already covered my underage drinking Detective Wilden," Quinn commented. "And, why are you questioning us instead of the police in New York?"

"The police there have no leads," Darren explained. "No witnesses, no evidence."

"So, basically you just took time out of your day to harass me?" Quinn asked. She thought that by putting out a tough and annoyed exterior that she wouldn't come off as suspicious as she would if she sat nervously fidgeting in her chair. Right now she was trying to fight off the nausea in her stomach, the situation making her feel ill.

"I'm only saying that trouble tends to follow you and Jason," Darren pointed out. "Let's look at the past year. Alison-"

"We had nothing to do with that," Quinn argued.

"Ian," Darren reminded her and Quinn felt her body go numb.

"Do you need anything else from me?" Quinn finally asked.

"Unless you'd either like to confess or give up your boyfriend," Darren shrugged, sitting back in his seat. "There's not much else I can do."

Quinn got up and stormed out of the office. There was no reason for her to be there, other than for Darren to get his kicks harassing her and for A to enjoy watching her squirm. When Jason went in to answer the same routine questions, Quinn went outside to smoke, but not until after she threw up in a nearby trashcan first. Her nerves were finally getting the best of her after she had put off such a calm and cool exterior. Sitting on the stairs alone, Quinn pulled out a new pack of cigarettes, lighting up as she waited for Jason to come. Hearing her phone, she felt another surge of nausea. She wondered what would happen if she just abandoned technology completely as she grabbed her phone from her bag.

_Might have to give up that habit soon Quinn_  
_Wondering what all that nausea means_

* * *

"So, nothing is going to happen from the Heather thing?" Aria asked in a low voice, though she wasn't sure why she was whispering as no one was around but her sister. Then again, who knew who was listening.

"Nope," Quinn shook her head, feeling relief. "No evidence or anything. Looks like A just wanted me to get worked up and Wilden just jumped at the chance to annoy the hell out of me."

"Sounds about right," Aria agreed. "I'm glad everything is ok though." She looked her sister over once. "Everything is ok, right?"

"Um," Quinn hesitated. Rather than explain, she showed her sister the text she got from A.

"Ok, how could A possibly know _that_?" Aria snapped as her sister showed her the message, with Quinn too afraid to show it to Jason. They sat on Quinn's bed, though not alone in the house. Mike was in his room and Ella was downstairs. Jason was at his house, working on painting the kitchen now. Quinn was supposed to come over for paint and pizza, but she bailed saying her sister needed her. They were supposed to talk more about her moving in.

"They probably want to pick at me," Quinn admitted. "Twist my head around some more. But..." She trailed off. "I realized that..." Aria's mouth dropped open.

"No," Aria gasped and Quinn nodded. "How late?"

"A week and half," Quinn confessed, falling back against her pillows and covering her face with her hands.

"What does Jason think?" Aria asked and Quinn didn't answer. "You didn't talk to Jason yet?"

"Not exactly," Quinn answered. "I don't know...I'm just afraid..."

"Of Jason?" Aria asked in concern. She still hadn't brought the recent news of Jason and the NAT club to her sister's attention.

"No!" Quinn protested, sitting up again. "Why would you-"

"Maybe you should be," Aria cut her off. She couldn't keep this in anymore. Her sister was with someone that was potentially dangerous. And, now, she might even be pregnant with his child.

"Are you stoned?" Quinn asked, half laughing but she studied her sister's ever serious face. "Are you serious, Aria? Jason's been there for me, for _us_, since this whole thing started."

"Maybe he's in on it," Aria said, getting up. She grabbed her sister's old yearbook from the shelf. "I need you to look at this." She flipped and showed her Ian, Jason, and Garrett's photos.

"Yeah, NAT," Quinn shrugged.

"You know about NAT?" Aria asked, somewhat shocked. "We see all?"

"Yeah?" Quinn asked in confusion like it wasn't a big deal. "It was some joke Ian came up with, about how they knew everyone was fake, they knew everything about everyone." She shrugged again. "I honestly thought it was stupid."

"Did you ever wonder what they all saw?" Aria said like it was obvious. "Quinn, Ian was into filming the girls of Rosewood. What if Garrett and Jason were in on it too?" She pointed at the NAT under Jason's name. "We SEE all."

"You're insane," Quinn told her.

"Am I?" Aria asked with raised eye brows. "Jason and Ali were fighting that whole summer, they even got violent. And you don't know what he did after you left the party."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Quinn stopped her. "So, we're going from _Jason's a perv_ to _Jason's a killer_?" She shook her head. "Do you hear yourself?"

"Do _you_ hear me?" Aria asked. "Or do you just not want to?"

"I'm not listening to this," Quinn shook her head, getting up and grabbing her bag.

"Yeah, just run off to him," Aria said as her sister left her bedroom. "Keep choosing him over me."

* * *

Quinn pulled up in front of Jason's house, a complete mess. She hadn't realized this, but some where along the two minute car route to Jason's house, she had started crying. Unable to make herself stop, she got out of the car, going up to the house and using her key to open it. She found Jason in the kitchen, standing on a ladder to paint above the windows.

"Quinn?" he asked in surprise, not expecting her. Then, he saw her face. "Wait, what's wrong?" he asked as he climbed down the ladder, going over to her now. "Is Wilden still bothering you?" He was getting angry now. "Because if he is, I'll-"

"What was the NAT club?" Quinn cut him off and he looked at her in confusion.

"Baby, what are you-"

"Just answer me," she stopped him again, new tears springing to her eyes. She needed to her it from him, that Aria and her friends had taken their investigation too far, that their imaginations were running away with them. "Did you know about the videos?" Jason's silence was all the answer she needed. "Oh my _God_! Jason!" She didn't wait for an explanation as she turned to storm out of the house.

"Quinn, hey," Jason sped after her, cutting her off in the doorway. "Babe, just listen to me all right?" She crossed her arms over herself. "Yes, I knew about the videos, but I _never_ filmed them." He shook his head, his look disgusted. "And I definitely didn't know that they taped us."

"Why didn't you just tell me, when I told you about the videos a few weeks ago?" Quinn asked.

"Because I knew you'd do this," he reasoned. He was being entirely honest, he did know about the videos but he never took part in making them. He knew how this must look though. "I didn't want to make a bad situation worse."

"But," Quinn said, still in complete shock over the whole situation. "Why would you even let them?" She ran a hand through her hair, pacing the room as she got more anxious. "I mean, holy hell Jay, they were filming your sister and her friends. They were only fifteen!"

"The same reason we don't tell anyone about A!" Jason argued. "They were our friends Quinn, they had all our secrets. There was no way to take them down for this without us getting busted too." His expression softened as she remained silent. "Baby-"

"Is that why you and Alison were fighting so much?" she asked him now.

"What?" Jason snapped defensively. "_No_. She knew about-"

"I know what she knew," Quinn stopped him, nervously twisting her hands. Jason looked her over, a pit forming in his stomach.

"What do you think I did?" he asked quietly.

"It's not...me," she shook her head. "...Aria and the girls are the ones that found the tapes. They've seen the NAT stuff, they knew about the fighting-"

"So this is what Ali's friends think?" Jason snapped. "That _I_ had something to do with what happened to her?"

"It looks bad Jason," Quinn explained to him. "You can't deny that."

"Yes, I can. Because I didn't do anything," Jason continued to argue with her, defensive now. "If you want to look at anyone, maybe you need to watch your sister and her friends more carefully."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean they know all the same stuff A knows," Jason pointed out. "They had just as much of an ax to grind with-"

"You think my sister and her friends are A?" she asked. "Has everyone around here completely lost it?" First, her sister thought Jason was the killer. Now, Jason thought the girls were A. It amazed her that she seemed to be the only one around here with her head on straight and she was the one that actually killed someone. She shook her head to try to erase the thoughts as she pushed by him. "I can't do this right now."

"Quinn!" Jason called as he chased after her to the front door. "What are you talking about, you _can't_?"

"My head...it just..." She was making hand motions as she struggled to explain. Ian. A's continued threats. Darren and the accident. Being late. Jason and the NAT club. She couldn't sort through all of it right now. And she was having a hard time looking at Jason right now as she tried to process the fact that he knew that two of their friends were filming their fifteen year old sisters.

"I have to go," she finally concluded.

"Quinn, don't leave," he said, but he said it to her back as she left the house. "Whatever it is you're thinking of doing, don't do it." He could only imagine the binge that was going to come out of this fight. Quinn got into her car, pulling her phone out to make a call as she started to drive away.

_"Helloooo,"_ Cece grinned into her phone, curled up on her couch alone with a glass of wine as she caught up on her DVR. _"What's up hon?"_

"Can I come over?" Quinn sniffed into the phone.

_"Oh, sure!"_ Cece said, her voice turning to concern. _"Is everything ok?"_

"Yeah...no," Quinn shook her head. "I just...I had a fight with Jason...and my sister..."

_"Damn, two in one night?"_ Cece asked with raised eye brows. _"C'mon over."_ She grinned deviously. _"I'll break out the good stuff."_

"There's something else I need first," Quinn said and Cece's face scrunched up in confusion. "I'll be there soon." Eventually, when Quinn showed up at the apartment with a plastic bag from the pharmacy in hand, Cece realized what was going on.

"Oh no," Cece gasped as she let her friend inside. "Is that what you and Jason fought about?"

"Um, yeah," Quinn lied. What was she going to do, tell Cece what Jason had been hiding? "Where's your..."

"Right there," Cece pointed at the bathroom door and Quinn slipped inside. She stood there, looking at the box of the pregnancy test as it sat on the counter. It was like it was taunting her as she continued to stare at it. She stepped out of the bathroom, keeping the door shut like that would keep the anxiety of the impending answer away. Cece came around the corner to check, a sympathetic half smile on her face.

"I can't wait in there," Quinn shook her head.

"Been there," Cece assured her and Quinn remembered. She had been there for Cece before when she had to take a pregnancy test and Cece had been there for her before as well. "But, it's totally ok," the blonde continued. "You and Jason will be perfectly fine." She squeezed her friend's hand. "He basically worships the ground you walk on. No way he'll ditch out on you."

"Yeah," Quinn nodded in agreement, though that was the least of her worries right now since Jason didn't even know she was late.

"Bet you can check it out now?" Cece offered and Quinn nodded again. "I'm right here for you babe." Quinn went into the bathroom, peaking at the test she let sitting on the counter and let out a breath of relief.

Negative.

* * *

"Fantastic!" Cece grinned as her friend came out and revealed the news, pouring another glass of wine and handing it to Quinn. "And now, we celebrate."

"I don't know," Quinn shook her head, setting the glass on the coffee table. "Maybe I should go talk to Jason..." Cece obviously didn't know the extent of their fight or how much she should probably go talk to him now that she had calmed down a bit. How could she ever think that he had done something so awful?

"No way," Cece insisted. "If he actually fought with you about you being late, let him sweat it out for a night." She grinned, picking up both glasses and handed Quinn's back to her. "Just spend the night with me, you can call him in the morning."

"Um," Quinn hesitated. She certainly didn't want to go home and see her sister. Jason probably didn't want to see her after what she accused him of.

"Quinn," Cece whined.

"Ok, ok," she gave in, tilting her glass to clink with Cece's. "I'll stay."

* * *

As usual, Quinn pushed it way too far when she drank, especially when she was upset. Waking up on Cece's couch with a pounding headache, she cursed herself as she sat up slowly. Grabbing her phone from the coffee table, she decided to call Jason before showing up at his house at random again. After their fight, she felt the need to approach him slowly, to apologize for the stuff that she said. She knew that Jason couldn't have killed Alison. But, with everything that was going on and in the heat of arguing, she had said a lot of things she hadn't meant. Pulling up her recent contacts list to dial Jason, she noticed something strange.

Garrett called her last night? And she answered.

**thanks for reading! hope you liked it. please let me know what you thought :)**


	17. Puzzle Pieces

**thank you so much for the review, favorite and follows! :) get ready for some quinn/jason moments as well as my big A reveal! hope you enjoy this update :) **

_Puzzle Pieces_

Why was Garrett calling Quinn in the middle of the night? And, more importantly, why did she answer and have a twenty minute conversation with him? The last question she knew she could blame on the bottles of wine that her and CeCe had consumed the night before, each friend claiming her own. She had to figure this out, and she certainly couldn't tell Jason since she was already skating on some pretty thin ice with him. Hesitant at first, Quinn finally decided to text Garrett and ask him to meet. It was really the best way to figure out what was going on, though when she arrived at his apartment she felt a little more uncomfortable.

"Quinn, hey," Garrett said when she got there. Quinn peeked into the apartment and didn't see the brunette from before, thankfully. "You want to come in?"

"Yeah, ok," Quinn agreed hesitantly, following him inside as Garrett shut the door behind her.

"Do you want to sit?" he offered.

"I'd rather stand," she waved it off. "But...thanks." Garrett nodded; she had to get right to the point. "Why did you call me last night?"

"There was some stuff I needed to talk to you about," Garrett explained. "But, you were a little..."

"Hammered?" Quinn offered. "Yeah, I was with CeCe." Garrett nodded in understanding.

"Is everything ok with Jason?" Garrett asked politely.

"I told you about my fight with Jason?" Quinn complained, rubbing her forehead.

"Afraid so," Garrett nodded.

"What all...did I say?" Quinn asked cautiously.

"Ah, that you thought you were pregnant or something?" Garrett offered. "But, I'm guessing from how much wine you had that you're not. At least, I'm hoping-"

"I'm not," Quinn shook her head. "Did I say anything else?"

"About the videos?" Garrett laughed a little as he nodded. "That's, um, actually what I wanted to talk to you about..."

"I should go," Quinn said nervously, turning for the door. Anytime these videos came up, she was about to get into trouble. Ian was the last person to mention the videos to her and he had tried to kill her.

"I wanted to tell you that it wasn't me," Garrett stopped her and she backed away. "I won't stop you from leaving...if you'd feel better talking outside or something we can."

"What wasn't you?" Quinn asked in confusion, though she resumed her post by the door.

"I didn't call Ian," Garrett promised her.

"Then, who-"

"Jenna Marshall," Garrett cut her off. "She's the girl I was seeing last summer."

"Ok, gross," Quinn complained. "You guys seriously couldn't find girls your own age? God, and you're a cop Garrett, you-"

"I know," Garrett stopped her. "You don't have to tell me how stupid it is."

"Then why are you seeing her again?"

"To try to track down the tapes," Garrett reasoned. "I'd get in some serious trouble if those got out."

"Not that it's unwarranted," Quinn muttered.

"None of us were saints that summer," Garrett snapped back and Quinn crossed her arms over herself, knowing he was right. "I'm sorry." She waved him off, letting him know it was right. She certainly wasn't one to judge someone else's innocence. "I just...needed you to know something."

"What's that?" Quinn asked.

"I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you," Garrett promised her. "I've always cared-" Garrett stopped as Quinn's phone started ringing; it was Jason.

"I should go," Quinn told Garrett, not planning to answer until she was outside. She was sure that whatever kind of_ I've always loved you_ speech he was planning, she didn't want to hear it. He grabbed her arm to stop her.

"You trust me," he started to ask. "Right?" Before anything else came out, he wanted Quinn to know that he was always one person that she could count on.

"Um," Quinn hesitated. "If we're being honest, I don't know who to trust."

"I guess that's fair," Garrett said, releasing her so she could open the door. "Quinn."

"Hm?" she stopped, turning to him again.

"Be careful who you live with," Garrett warned her. Quinn rolled her eyes, hating how him and Jason were both always at each other. If they both cared about her, they'd just let it go as it started to get on her last nerve.

"I'd trust Jason over..." She stopped as Jason tried calling her again. "Hey Jay," she answered, shaking her head at Garrett as she felt this was a complete waste of time. "Yeah, I'm on my way over now."

* * *

Quinn pulled up in front of Jason's house, worried about what was about to happen. She was sure Jason was upset with her over the fight last night and he had every right to be after what she accused him of. She knew that, for them to get past all of this, they were going to have to come clean to each other about everything so there were no more surprises or secrets. That included her taking the pregnancy test last night. Her stomach in knots, she made her way up to the front door. That's when the door swung open, making her jump back.

"Oh, sorry Quinn," Peter Hastings mumbled, leaving the porch. Quinn was confused but it certainly wasn't the strangest thing to happen to her today. She went inside where she found Jason in the kitchen, putting two coffee mugs in the sink. He turned to see Quinn pointing her thumb over her shoulder at the door.

"What was that?" she asked with raised eye brows.

"Nothing," Jason mumbled.

"Jay," Quinn sighed, getting him to look over at her. "_That's_ our problem. We're still keeping stuff from each other, so when it comes out-"

"Other people look guilty?" he offered and she bit her lip.

"I'll start," she said stubbornly to prove her point. "Last night, at CeCe's, I took a pregnancy test." Jason's mouth dropped a little.

"You," he started to say but he stopped. "Why didn't..." He shook his head. "Babe, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because we got into that fight," Quinn tried to explain, feeling herself getting flustered. "I don't know, I just couldn't." Jason hesitated.

"Well...are you..."

"No," Quinn shook her head quickly. "No, I'm not." She motioned at the door again. "Was that...something to do with Melissa?" Quinn hadn't seen Melissa since the incident on Jason's porch, having heard she had gone back to Philadelphia.

"Not really," Jason sighed.

"What is it?" Quinn asked in concern. "Are the girls-"

"They're fine," Jason promised, knowing how Quinn worried. "Peter, he just, ah..." Quinn waited patiently for him to continue. "He's my dad." Quinn's mouth dropped now.

"Wait, _what_?" Quinn asked in shock and he nodded.

"I asked him to come over," Jason explained. "I found these letters in Alison's room last night..."

"Ali knew?" Quinn asked.

"Are you surprised?" Jason asked with a small laugh. "Alison knew everything." He paused. "Even about the videos."

"Jay, I-"

"I get how it looks Quinn," Jason promised her. "But I was protecting you, that's all I wanted."

"The only way we can keep each other safe is to find out who's doing this," Quinn told him. While they had just promised to be completely honest with each other, he wasn't going to tell her that he already had his suspicions on who A really was.

"Can I still move in?" Quinn asked lightly, biting her lip a little.

"Yeah, of course," Jason promised, taking her hand to pull her in. He wasn't going to say, but sleeping next to her brought him comfort in more ways than one. It let him know that she was completely safe because she was with him.

"I'll go get some of my stuff," Quinn smiled, giving him a quick peck before going back to her house to get the suitcase she had started packing the day before.

* * *

_"So, you're there alone?"_ Aria asked in confusion, on the phone with her sister. She had missed Quinn when she came back for her suitcase, having been over at Emily's with the other girls discussing the latest assault from A. They had been visiting Spencer's lake house when they found some pre-paid phones upstairs in the attic. Was this A's lair?

"Jason went out to get dinner," Quinn explained, placing the last of her clothes in the drawers Jason had cleared for her in their room. She still had a few things to move there, but had her essentials there for now.

_"And, you guys are ok?"_ Aria asked hesitantly.

"If I trust him, you can too," Quinn promised her younger sister, heading down the hall now. She had to see what all Jason had seen in Alison's room, including the letters. She found a box, opening it to observe the contents. "He found all this stuff in Ali's room, we're going to talk about it when he gets back."

_"What kind of stuff?"_

"I don't know," Quinn said honestly, looking through some of the notes she found in the box. "Guess we'll see."

_"If you say so,"_ Aria shrugged. _"Hey, I got some homework. But, talk to you later?"_

"Sure," Quinn nodded, hanging up. She took the box from Alison's room, feeling strange being in there. Taking the box downstairs to the kitchen, she pulled the notes and other contents out for the table. Knowing what happened with the missing videos, she took pictures of each of them. She put everything back in the box, keeping the notes out to read them. They all had a familiar tone to them and she realized that A was tormenting Alison long before her, Jason, or the girls.

* * *

_Flashback_

Quinn woke up in the middle of the night at the DiLaurentis house, unable to sleep anymore. She was overwhelmingly thirsty, and she was sure she was in the early stages of a hangover. Recalling that she and Jason had gone to the Kahn's Halloween party that night, she knew why she felt like such hell and figured she would continue to feel like this into the next day. With Jason's parents not home, she grabbed one of Jason's t-shirts from the floor before heading downstairs to get herself a glass of water. Seeing someone at the kitchen table in costume, she jumped back.

"Shit, Alison," she laughed a little, pouring the water now. "You scared me." She noticed something in Alison's hands. "What's that?"

"Nothing," Alison shook her head quickly.

"Are you crying?" Quinn asked in concern, going over to the table. Alison was clearly upset about something.

"No," Alison snapped at her, wiping at her eyes, standing up from the table now as she looked Quinn over. "So, what did you go as for Halloween, a huge slut?"

"Alison," Quinn protested though the blonde stomped her way over to the stairs, making a break for her bedroom.

* * *

"Jay," Quinn said, calling him right away. "Are you almost home?"

_"Yeah, at the end of our street,"_ Jason nodded. _"Why?"_

"I just read those notes," Quinn tried to explain, going back upstairs to put the box back in Alison's room. "A was after your sister too?"

_"That's what I wanted to talk to you about,"_ Jason started to tell her. _"We'll talk about it when I-"_

"JAY!" Quinn screeched, dropping her phone as she saw someone in a black hoodie in the upstairs of the house. The dark figure made a run at her, and Quinn darted into the closest room, Jason's old bedroom that was across from Alison's room. She could hear them out in the hall, going into Alison's room before running out into the hall again. Downstairs, she heard Jason come in.

"HEY!" he heard Jason shout, running up the stairs now. There was a slamming door, a crash, a door flying open. Then, there were more footsteps in the hallway before a knock at the door.

"Quinn," Jason said, trying the knob but the door was locked. "Baby, open up, it's me." Quinn came stumbling out of the door, right into Jason's arms. "It's ok, it's ok," he immediately promised as he hugged her tight, kissing her hair. "They're gone." He pulled back to get her to look at him, knowing she would be panicking. This was, after all, the second time that A had broken into a place she was living.

"They left," Jason assured her. "Out the window, like a freaking ninja or something."

"What did they want?" Quinn asked, walking by him towards their room and heading over towards the window. The person must have run into the side of the dresser, the contents on top including the mirror having fallen to the floor. She shut the window, locking it immediately. Then, she happened to look down. That was when she noticed it.

"They took that box of Ali's," Jason sighed. "So, now we don't-"

"I took pictures," Quinn stopped him, picking it up.

"Is that your phone?" Jason asked in confusion as she showed it to him.

"No," she said, trying to unlock it but was unsuccessful. "I think it's A's." She looked to Jason again. "Maybe this will help us find out who A is." Jason immediately took the phone from her. "Jay-"

"I don't want you to have anything to do with this," Jason told her firmly. "_I'll_ look into it."

"But," she tried to protest.

"Please," he stopped her. Not only was investigating A and their phone dangerous, but he was afraid of what they might find out. He had a feeling on who A was, and he needed to make sure before talking to Quinn about it. "Just let me handle this one, all right?"

"Ok," Quinn said hesitantly, not sure what was going on with Jason.

* * *

Jason didn't know where to start with this phone. Quinn, while she kept insisting that she should be allowed in on this, did point him in the direction of Hanna's boyfriend Caleb who was known for hacking. The two of them worked together for hours, both agreeing it was better that the girls stayed out of this for now. Jason finally shared his theory with Caleb on who A was and, after he thought about it, Caleb certainly agreed. What they needed now though, for Quinn and the girls, was solid proof. All they managed to get off the phone though was a few pictures of the girls and a video file as well as some information on the accident with Heather. Exhausted, Jason grabbed his phone to tell Quinn what they had found so far.

_"Anything on who A is?"_ Quinn asked curiously as she was doing her make up. Since Aria didn't have a date, Quinn said that she would go to tonight's Masquerade ball with her.

"Ah, just some pictures and a file on Heather," Jason shrugged while Caleb sat at the desk, drinking coffee. "A video file-"

_"Of what?"_ she asked as she pulled her short, dark blue strapless dress from the closet, her matching mask laying on the bed.

"Just what we already knew," Jason explained. "Garrett, Jenna, and Ian were all in Alison's room."

_"Do you think Garrett's A?"_ Quinn asked with raised eye brows.

"With a video to black mail himself on his phone?" Jason asked. "Doubtful." He sighed. "Look, babe, I really think that we should talk about this A thing."

_"No, I know,"_ Quinn agreed. _"A's supposed to meet the girls at the dance or something?"_ She sighed. _"I know I made a promise to Aria about the girls only thing, but if you guys could-"_

"No, we'll be there," Jason promised quickly. He could hear Aria calling for her sister in the background. "I'll see you there."

_"K, bye,"_ Quinn smiled, hanging up. As Jason and Caleb both grabbed their jackets to leave, Jason got a text message.

_You're going to wish you told her you loved her_

* * *

Jason had to find Quinn, he was on a mission. He sped with Caleb in his car, driving by the house and the Montgomery house, but Quinn and Aria had already gone. Desperately, he drove to the high school, barely parking the car in front of it before he and Caleb hopped out and rushed inside. A was here, with their girlfriends. To say they wanted to put a stop to this was an understatement.

"Caleb?" Hanna asked in happy surprise when he and Jason found her, Emily, and Spencer. He had said that he was going to be working on the phone with Jason tonight like he had been the night before. "I thought you were-"

"Where's Quinn?" Jason asked, searching the crowd. He didn't see either Montgomery sister there.

"Uh, her and Aria are running late," Spencer told them, though she immediately became nervous. "Why, do you think something's wr-"

"Aria's A!" Jason snapped, cutting her off; who else would have known that he hadn't said he loved Quinn on the phone. All three girls were taken aback in shock. He had taken his phone out and was trying to call Quinn now.

"Are you drinking again?" Hanna asked him and Emily nudged her arm. "What? It's a serious question. He's clearly lost it!"

"Who else knows all your secrets like that, besides Alison?" Caleb reasoned as Jason frantically tried to call Quinn. "Plus, Jason was telling me that Alison was getting notes from A way before you all were."

"What?" Spencer demanded of her recently discovered half brother as he had to hang up and try Quinn again.

"One of them even said something about A being on the inside," Jason tried to tell her, panic rising as he dialed Quinn another time. "Aria must have been tired of Alison holding secrets over her..."

"So were all of us," Emily jumped in, feeling defensive for Aria.

"Listen!" Jason stopped all of them and they jumped a bit at his anger. "The texts didn't start until Aria came back from Iceland. Aria knew about her and Garrett first-"

"So did half of Rosewood," Hanna scoffed, earning a nudge from Emily again.

"A never threatened me and Quinn with the accident," Jason continued as he knew the girls all knew about Heather now, as he was dialing Quinn again. "Until Quinn told her about it. The break ins only ever happened when Quinn was home alone, which Aria knew." Quinn still didn't answer and Jason was starting to freak out more. "Aria never liked that we were dating, she even confronted me in my office a couple weeks ago. A got me and Quinn to break up." His phone started ringing now, but it wasn't Quinn; it was Ella.

"Ella," Jason said as he answered, stepping off to the side.

"But A got Quinn to break up Ezra and Aria," Spencer argued.

"And then Quinn got punished for it," Caleb explained, reminding them that Darren had taken her in to question her about the accident.

"She was always talking about Quinn and Jason," Emily remembered. "Even before Ali died, she hated that they were together. She always thought that-"

"Quinn picked Jason over her," Spencer chimed in now, realizing the awful truth. Aria never got quite the same amount of black mail that the other girls got. Even when her and Ezra broke up, it was to prove a point that Quinn would pick her and Jason's happiness over her sister's.

"And she was always mad at Ali for throwing that stuff in her face," Hanna recalled, thinking of why Aria might have been tormenting Alison too. "The secrets, the drugs..." She thought about it. "Why would she do this to us?"

"Because we let Alison do all those things," Spencer reminded her. "We never tried to stop her, even when she was picking at one of us."

"Do we think she killed Ali?" Emily gasped.

"We don't have time to think about that," Jason said as he came back over to the small group. "Mrs. Montgomery just called, she's at the hospital with Quinn. The girls were in an accident up by look out point."

"And Aria?" Spencer asked as all of them hurried outside towards Jason's car.

"They can't find her," Jason answered as they all got in his car, speeding off again in the direction of the hospital.

**thanks for reading! :) so...what did you think? lol please review! more soon! :)**


	18. Piece It Together

**thank you so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! :) i'm so glad that everyone was surprised! more explanation in this update (which is going to back track a little, this is going to be what happened while jason and caleb were with the other girls) hope you like it!**

_Piece It Together_

Quinn started to wake up now, coughing a bit as she gained full consciousness of her surroundings. She was in the car, which was now wrapped around a tree. Seeing that a branch had fallen and crashed through the windshield, she remembered trying to grab the wheel from Aria. What was she thinking when she did that, other than trying to process that her little sister was A? Quinn could feel the blood on the side of her face, finding it a bit difficult to breathe right now. Turning her head slightly to the left, she saw that Aria was missing. Trapped and alone, Quinn felt tears springing to her eyes as she desperately tried to search for her phone to call for help.

Aria, her sister, was A. She was the one that had been tormenting her for over a year since Alison had died. And, while it was all a huge shock to her and she could hardly believe it, there was a lot that made sense.

The first text she got, the one that said she wasn't going to be a good guardian because she didn't know where Aria was. The texts stopping when Aria left for Iceland and then starting again the night she came home. She knew that Quinn was calling Jason for help, even though she was dating Garrett. She knew that Quinn gave Hardy her number while she was dating Garrett. All these things that A knew was something that Aria knew first. Aria knew she was home alone in the apartment the night she broke in and wrote on Quinn's mirror. She also knew that she was alone at the house Quinn shared with Jason. Quinn was never threatened with the information on the accident with Heather until she told Aria about it. Aria hated that she was dating Jason, breaking them up after she learned from Alison that he was going to propose. She had been punished for doing what A wanted, for breaking up Ezra and Aria, because it was a test to see who she would choose, Aria or Jason.

Quinn could practically hear Aria screaming at her all over as she tried to reach for her cell phone. How she had tormented Alison first to get back at her for being so nasty, for telling her about Quinn and Jason's drug days and holding it over her head. How she had started doing this to her friends once she got home because they never stopped Alison from doing those things. How she was torturing Quinn because she wanted her away from Jason. The way Aria saw it, she was the victim in a never ending game of other people getting picked over her. The girls' took Alison's side when they never stopped her, Quinn was always picking Jason, especially since they had gotten back together. Finally, Quinn had her phone in her reach from the floor, grasping it in her hand. Sitting up in the twisted wreckage, she thought she saw someone in the woods as she quickly dialed 911.

_"911, what is your emergency?"_ the woman asked.

"Please, help me!" Quinn screamed. It was Aria in the woods. She remembered Aria ranting about how she didn't know who killed Alison, but she wished she did. And while she might not have killed Alison, that didn't mean she wasn't about to turn her wild rage on Quinn.

_"Where are you?"_

"I was in an accident, up by look out point," Quinn said in a panic. That was definitely Aria in the woods watching her as Quinn frantically tried to open her door though it wouldn't budge. "Please, she's going to kill me!"

* * *

"Where is she?" Jason asked immediately as he was the first one in the waiting room, the others not far behind him. Ella and Byron were sitting together in the waiting room with Mike while the doctors were with Quinn. Byron sat on one of the couches with Mike while Ella sat in a row of chairs adjacent to them.

"She's all right," Byron promised Jason quickly. "She's very lucky. Nothing's broken, she needed a few stitches."

"She hit her head," Mike mumbled from his seat. This was more than the fifteen year old could handle. His one sister was laying in a hospital bed, the other was missing some where and was being accused of something awful. It was more than the parents could believe.

"Just a slight concussion," Ella assured Jason as he took a seat next to her. She noticed the girls filing in now with Caleb. She hesitated before continuing, letting out a sigh. "Quinn was brought in here..." She took another moment to gather her thoughts as she could hardly believe it. "_Screaming_ about...about how Aria was going to kill her." The girls were sitting side by side in the row of chairs across from her and Jason, Caleb standing behind them.

"I need you to help me understand," Ella continued. She knew that something was wrong since she came home, that something was going on with both of her daughters. The most obvious incident was what happened between Quinn and Ian, but even after that she knew something was strange in the girls' behavior. "What was going on with my daughters?"

"You're going to have to help me understand too," they heard a voice saying behind them. They all looked over to see Wilden standing on the edge of the waiting room.

"No," Jason immediately said, getting up from his seat.

"Jason," Spencer warned. Since she found out her father's secret, she felt a different connection to Jason now.

"We'll talk to Reynolds," Jason told Wilden. He wasn't too fond of Garrett, but he knew that Garrett would never hurt Quinn, while Wilden had in the past.

"That's going to be kind of hard," Wilden informed him. "Considering he just got picked up an hour ago for your sister's murder."

"_What_?" Jason demanded.

"You're serious?" one of the girls asked.

"Garrett?" another chimed in with surprise; Wilden nodded.

"Shouldn't you be out trying to find Aria?" Mike jumped in now.

"We have police scouring the woods near the accident," Wilden assured the Montgomery family. "We'll find your sister."

"Maybe you should go out and help them," Caleb added now. He didn't like this guy either, he knew about him harassing Hanna and her friends. Darren shook his head, a smirk creeping onto his face as he looked to Jason.

"I'll be back to talk to everyone in the morning," he announced, though he was looking at Jason as he said it. Then, he lowered his voice. "There's a lot of secrets I'm sure you don't want coming out in all of this. Better you talk to someone who knows how to keep 'em."

"No one better than you," Jason said sarcastically as Wilden finally turned to leave. Jason sighed, his head dropping for a moment before he turned back to everyone. The girls, Caleb, Quinn's family. All of them brought together by this twisted mess of lies and secrets.

"Jason," Ella said, getting him to look over at her now. "What happened?"

"When did this start?" Byron asked.

"After they found Ali's body," Hanna said softly, remembering the first text.

"After she disappeared," Spencer corrected her, knowing Quinn and Jason got texts long before the girls ever did; Jason shook his head.

"Before that," Jason explained, resuming his seat next to Ella. "I, um..." He let out a breath. "I know my sister wasn't a saint. She could be really nasty if she wanted to be..."

"Do you think Aria-"

"No," Jason shook his head to stop her from asking it. He never thought that and, after all, it looked like Garrett might have something to do with it. It made sense, him and Ian being in on those videos together. "But..." He looked to the group now. "She was sending Ali messages, trying to get her stop being...her. And, once Ali went missing, me and Quinn started getting messages too."

"What kind of messages?" Byron asked in concern.

"I know no one was ever crazy about me and Quinn together," Jason started off saying. He remembered the fights with Quinn's parents, the fights between the parents, which he was sure had to do with Aria's distaste for him even more. "A was threatening us both, trying to get us to split up." He sighed, a hand through his hair. "We did, then you all left for Iceland."

"Then Aria came back," Spencer said now, assisting Jason. It wasn't easy, explaining to the parents of an accident victim how their other child was responsible for so much torment. "And we started getting them too." She looked down to the floor. "Since we never stopped Ali." Ella's eyes were tearing up.

"I'm so sorry," she told all of them, a few stray tears spilling over. "I never..."

"It's no one's fault," Jason said, looking between her and Byron. As he was saying this, the nurse came out into the waiting room.

"You can take her home tonight," the nurse explained to them. "The doctor cleared her."

* * *

It wasn't even a question, everyone went to the Montgomery house that night. Byron wanted to be with his family and both he and Ella wanted Quinn close that night. Jason, obviously, wasn't going anywhere as he stayed with her in her old room. The girls were all starting to go stir crazy with curiosity. And, when everyone else went off to bed, they started searching Aria's room. It was better if they found the proof of all their secrets than the police. For now, Quinn was wide awake with her head against Jason's chest, feeling his fingers gently running through her hair as he was awake too.

"How's your head?" Jason murmured, kissing it.

"Messed up," Quinn grumbled. Jason shifted so he was laying on his side next to her, facing her as he took her hand.

"I never should have left you alone with her," Jason started to apologize. "I just had to be sure...before I told you..."

"I never would have believed you," Quinn agreed, closing her eyes as she wanted to shut out the world. "Part of me still doesn't." She felt Jason gently caressing her cheek.

"I won't let her hurt you again," Jason promised. "They're going to find her, and-"

"It's not just her I'm worried about," Quinn said, looking at him again. "There's no way she was doing this on her own Jay."

"She admitted it to you," Jason said in confusion. "And, all the texts make sense-"

"Aria was with the other girls when Hanna got hit by that car," Quinn reminded him. "And she was picking up my mom when Ian's body went missing, not that she could have moved him anyway."

"So, what," Jason started off saying. "We're not just dealing with one person?" Quinn nodded; Jason sighed. "We'll have to talk to Wilden about that tomorrow."

"God," Quinn complained. "Do I have to talk to him?" She hadn't heard the news yet about the arrest. "What about Garrett?"

"They, um," Jason hesitated. "He got arrested tonight."

"For _what_?" Quinn asked in shock.

"Killing Ali," Jason answered. Quinn gasped quietly, covering her mouth.

"Jay..."

"Don't be sorry," Jason stopped her. It was hard though, knowing your two best friends from high school wanted your sister dead. Maybe now his sister could finally get some peace. And, hopefully once the police had Aria in custody, he and Quinn could get some peace too.

* * *

Quinn slept sporadically that night, laying in bed and watching Jason sleep as she listened to her parents rustling downstairs, talking to the girls. Mike was still in his room, completely in shock that Aria had done all this. Hearing the doorbell, she felt her stomach sink as she knew that Darren was there to question all of them about this. Getting up and dressed, she headed downstairs as she was careful not to wake Jason; it had been a long night for everyone.

"We found Aria," she heard Darren saying to the others in the sitting room.

"Where?"

"Is she ok?"

"She's not hurt," Darren explained. "She was hiding in the woods by the site of the accident, we've taken her in for a psych eval." He looked over when he heard Quinn, then to the rest of the group. "I'd like to talk to Quinn first, then the rest of the girls if that's all right."

"C'mon," Quinn said without emotion, leading Darren over towards her father's former office. Darren shut the door behind him, turning to look at Quinn who sat on the edge of the desk. "What do you want to know?"

* * *

Jason got up now, hearing the muffled voices of Quinn and Darren in the office as he passed by. He noticed Byron and Ella in the kitchen, talking in low voices about what they should do next. The three other girls sat in a row on the couch, all looking at Jason when he came in.

"What?" Jason asked right away. Spencer looked to make sure no one could hear before starting to explain.

"We found a key in Aria's room," she said quietly. "It's to a storage place, I think that's where she keeps her..." She wasn't sure how to word it. "A stuff."

"Give it to me," Jason held out his hand and Spencer handed it over. "We don't tell Quinn about this, and definitely not Wilden." The girls nodded in agreement. They knew that Quinn had enough worries as it was and there was no way they could trust Wilden with it.

As the day passed, Byron and Ella went to Radley Sanitarium where they were taking Aria after her psych evaluation. It was determined that she needed care there, rather than be taken to the police station. Quinn felt better, knowing that her sister couldn't get to her from in there. After talking the girls out of coming with him, Jason went on his own to find the storage unit. Much to his surprise, there was nothing left. He was hoping to find something, anything that would help him figure out who was helping Aria. All there was was a note in the middle of the room.

_No more_

* * *

"No more what?" Hanna snapped as they looked at the note. Quinn was at home, packing up the remainder of her things. She couldn't stay at the house, not where her parents were both constantly fussing over her. In any case, she had already started the move over to Jason's. Jason had met the girls and Caleb over at Hanna's house, where they had all met because Ashley had to work late and they were all tired of their own parents fussing.

"Maybe they don't know what to do without Aria," Emily said hopefully. "Without her to be boss, they won't attack us anymore."

"Yeah, but how long till Aria gets out?" Spencer mumbled.

"Spence," Hanna complained. They had just gotten A out of their lives. Now they were talking about when she'd be back?

"No, she's right," Caleb agreed.

"It's going to be a long time," Jason assured them, as well as himself. Maybe now he wouldn't have to worry about leaving Quinn alone. He couldn't be with her every second of the day. Now though, his phone ringing, he left for home where he met Quinn with the last of her boxes, helping her get them inside. She was still jumpy, and rightfully so. Anytime the house creaked she almost came out of her skin, but Jason promised they were going to be ok. And, for awhile, everything seemed like it was going to be ok.

It was months before they would hear from A again.

**thanks for reading! more soon, i promise! lol please let me know what you thought :)**


	19. Peace And Quiet

**thanks so much for the review, follows, and favorites! :) and thanks to those who favorited and followed me as an author. it means so much! hope you like this update :) **

_Peace and Quiet_

It took awhile, months actually, before things got back to normal. Quinn was finally all moved in with Jason, having graduated in the spring. Jason was off for the summer since he worked for the school, but she was working at the hospital, getting a job right after graduation. Part of her wondered if it was because she was qualified and the other part wondered if it was because everyone in town felt sorry for her and her family; it was all over their faces.

Byron had moved back home, him and Ella working it out so they could be around for Mike who continued to have a hard time with what happened, sinking into depression. Quinn had her own issues, hardly sleeping even after they took Aria to Radley, but she was dealing better than she had anticipated. She had even stopped smoking as well as drinking, sober for five months now; Jason was proud of her.

Quinn had taken on being around for the girls, feeling somewhat responsible for them now. She was always checking in on them, making sure they were doing ok. After all, she wasn't the only victim of A. They were her friends now, rather than girls that used to hang out with her sister. They all cared about each other, hanging out and making sure everyone handling what happened as best they could.

This weekend was Labor Day weekend, two years now since Alison had died, five months since Aria was taken to Radley and the last time anyone had heard from A. Quinn was working until late, so Jason was home alone for now. Quinn knew the girls were having a party at the Hastings' house that night since the parents were out of town and she asked him to go check on them. It was late and, with it being Ali's anniversary, she was worried. Understanding, Jason walked through the yard to the Hastings', knocking on the glass door and startling the three girls, who had all started drinking.

"Sorry," Jason apologized once Spencer opened the door for him. She sat back on the couch with Emily and Hanna.

"What's up?" Spencer asked.

"Just wanted to make sure you guys were doing ok," Jason explained, observing how they had started drinking but not saying anything. The girls were never nearly as out of control as he and Quinn would get.

"Quinn ask you to check?" Emily asked. She seemed a little worse off than the other girls, drinking a bit more. Emily was handling the news about Aria and her group of friends falling apart the worst, feeling there was no one she could trust. First, Alison died, then Aria was A. To top it off, her girlfriend Maya had gone missing and no one had any leads on where she was.

"Yeah," Jason admitted with a bit of a smile. He knew the girls wished Quinn didn't worry so much. After all, it had been months since they had gotten a text. It seemed that they were home free. A was in Radley and Ali's killer was in jail. All they had to do was wait for Garrett to go to trial now.

"So, are you going to ask her tonight?" Hanna asked eagerly. Since everything had started to calm down, Jason was waiting to ask Quinn to marry him again. He wanted to ask her before summer ended, their last relaxing weekend together. But, now, he wasn't sure this was the time to ask.

"I'm not sure," Jason confessed and the girls all groaned or threw their heads back in annoyance. Since Jason had told them his plan to propose again, they had all be anxiously waiting for the news. They loved Quinn like she was their own sister, and Jason was Spencer's brother. Her own sister had disappeared to Philadelphia, new born baby in tow.

"Why not?" Spencer asked.

"Because of what this weekend is," Jason reminded her.

"Well, this weekend needs a different anniversary," Hanna said, bouncing with a smile. "A happier one." Hanna had a point.

"We'll see," Jason told them, opening the door again. "Goodnight girls."

"Night!"

* * *

Quinn's shift ended at nine, but she didn't get home until close to ten o'clock. Happy to be back, she walked up the stairs to the porch, unlocking the door. She thought she heard something and turned quickly, but it was just the wind. Little did she know, someone was hiding in the trees between the DiLaurentis and Hastings houses. Inside, she found Jason sprawled out on the couch, falling asleep with the tv on in the background. Quinn jumped on him playfully, sitting on him and kissing him to wake him up.

"That's one way to wake up," Jason chuckled in his still sleepy state, sitting up and keeping Quinn in his lap, her legs over him. "How was work?"

"Ugh, long," Quinn complained, kissing him again. Hearing something again, she jumped a bit this time.

"What is it?" Jason asked in concern, his hands running along her waist as she looked around.

"Did you hear that?" Quinn asked, looking at him now.

"Just the tv," he answered, grabbing the remote from beside them and turning it off. The only sound that was left was the wind outside, the occasional boom of thunder as it was threatening to storm. She looked over at the window, not convinced.

"Hey," Jason got her to look at him again, resting a hand on her cheek. "You can relax baby."

"Mmmm, k," Quinn sighed as he kissed her again, his hand moving to her hair now. Jason pulled back, knowing what he wanted to do right now. He had to, the feeling overwhelmed him. And, after picking up the ring that afternoon (since he had gotten rid of the old one after he and Quinn split up), it was still in his pocket.

"What is it?" Quinn asked as he looked her over.

"I love you," Jason told her and she smiled.

"I love you too," Quinn said back as she kissed him again. Jason pulled back again, holding her hand against his chest.

"You're really good for me," Jason continued, though Quinn knew he was the good influence on her. He was the one that helped her stop drinking, he was the one helping her through all the drama with her family. "That year without you..."

"Jay," Quinn giggled a little. "Where is this coming from?" Jason was sweet, but he never poured it on like this. He didn't answer though, he just reached into his pocket, Quinn immediately adjusting and sitting up so he could access it, relaxing against his lap again when he took his hand out. When she saw the little felt box, her eyes went wide. When Jason opened it, revealing the gorgeous diamond ring inside, her mouth dropped.

"Oh my God," Quinn gasped, covering her mouth. Her heart was about to pound right out of her chest.

"I don't want to be without you again," Jason told her. "Quinn Montgomery, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Quinn gushed, kissing him deeply. They broke apart only for a moment so Jason could slide the ring on her finger, before he pulled her back in to kiss her again before picking her up as he stood, taking her to their room.

Outside, a dark figure snapped a picture.

* * *

Quinn was the first awake that morning, feeling Jason's arm over her waist as he continued in his deep sleep. She observed the ring on her hand, the sparkle when it caught the light. She was going to be Mrs. DiLaurentis. Right now, after this past year, she didn't want to be a Montgomery anymore, though it wasn't easy to be a DiLaurentis in this town either. In either case, she still had Jason to go through it with her.

"Good morning," she heard Jason saying as he moved closer, kissing her neck.

"Good morning," Quinn smiled, relaxing back against him.

"Did you still want to go to your parents' for breakfast?" he asked, kissing her more as she turned over to face him. They were going over to see her parents, to tell them the news though Jason already told Byron. They were just going to call his parents, since neither of them had been in Rosewood since the fashion show.

"We have to leave this room eventually," Quinn laughed, kissing him once before sliding out of bed.

* * *

As Jason and Quinn left the house, they didn't even notice that the girls' cars weren't still at Spencer's house, which was unusual for that time of morning. Either way, they drove the few blocks over to Quinn's childhood home, eager to share their news with others. Before they left the house, Quinn had texted CeCe, asking her to meet her at the grille for lunch. She and Jason had been hanging out a lot with Eric and CeCe lately.

"Breakfast is almost ready," Ella said as Jason and Quinn came into the kitchen. Byron was making chocolate chip pancakes while Ella made coffee. Mike was upstairs, still sleeping in late for the last weekend of summer.

"We were happy to hear from you to," Ella continued, pouring some coffee and intending to hand it to her daughter first but Quinn kept her arms crossed and her hands hidden to keep the surprise, so Jason took the mug. "Surprised though, thought you two might go away?"

"I had to work," Quinn shrugged. They didn't address the elephant in the room, which was how Ella had tried to convince Quinn to come to Radley with her earlier in the week; they hadn't spoken in the days since, a huge argument ensuing. Byron and Ella were the only ones that had gone to see Aria at the hospital.

"You said you wanted to tell us something?" Ella asked as she poured herself some coffee. Byron hadn't told her what Jason had asked the other day. Mostly, Ella feared that her daughter was pregnant. She was out of school and had a job, but she thought it was still too soon for the young couple to be parents. When she looked up from her own cup, she noticed Quinn holding up her left hand.

"Oh my God!" Ella squealed with excitement, going to hug her daughter. Byron shook Jason's hand in congratulations. "Mike, come down here!" She wanted her son to be part of this moment. Jason's phone started ringing then and, since it was Detective Wilden, he had to take it. Jason excused himself to the next room while Ella continued to gush with her daughter, taking her hand and looking at the ring.

"So, have you thought of when you'd want to get married?" Ella asked as they heard Jason coming back.

"We were thinking next summer..." Quinn started to say, but trailed off when she saw Jason in the kitchen now, the look on his face. "What is it?"

"Ah," Jason hesitated, scratching the back of his head. "That was Wilden..."

"What did he want?" Quinn asked in annoyance.

"To tell me someone dug up my sister's grave," Jason answered.

* * *

Quinn stayed at her parents' house while Jason insisted he go the police station alone. While it was already ruined, he didn't want to drag Quinn through it and spoil the morning further. She paced the house, worrying that it was starting again. They never had found who was helping Aria, but her parents insisted that it was something to do with Garrett and his trial. After all, the trial was starting the following week.

Quinn tried to text the girls, but they told her that they didn't know anything, that they decided to go to the lake house that night instead of staying at Spencer's. After a lot of convincing from her mom, Quinn went to meet CeCe for lunch, though she immediately regretted it. The news spread like wildfire and everyone was already looking at her, making her uneasy again. She sat in the back corner by herself, keeping her eyes down as she waited for CeCe to arrive.

"So, I just heard," CeCe said sympathetically as she took a seat across from Quinn in the booth. "I am so sorry hun." She shook her head. "Just when people were starting to leave you alone." She sipped her water quickly. "How's Jason?"

"Still with Wilden," Quinn shrugged, aimlessly flipping through the menu. She didn't feel much like eating.

"Ugh, he's such a creep," CeCe complained about Darren, having a thing with him in between her relationships with Eric. That was when she spotted Quinn's finger as she turned the menu over again. "What is _that_?" CeCe asked, a huge smile on her face.

"Oh," Quinn said as she remembered, her engagement taking a backseat to this morning's news. "Um..." She held up her hand. "Surprise?"

"Quinn, this is amazing!" CeCe grinned, hopping out of her seat and sliding in next to her best friend to hug her. "I am so happy for you guys!" She winked at her. "Maybe this will get Eric to stop dragging his feet."

"Maybe," Quinn laughed a little in agreement. It was great news, she wasn't going to deny that. But, it was poorly timed. "Ce?"

"Hm?" the blonde asked, continuing to sit on Quinn's side with her.

"Would you be my maid of honor?" Quinn asked her.

"Absolutely!" CeCe squealed, drawing some attention their way as she threw her arms around Quinn again. She pulled back with a huge grin, though Quinn seemed less than thrilled.

"Don't look so happy," CeCe teased her.

"It's not that," Quinn brushed it off. Part of it was she wondered who Jason would have in the wedding. Ian was dead, Garrett was in jail. The closest guy friends he had besides Eric were Toby and Caleb, mostly because of their shared interests in protecting the girls. He had also hired Toby for some work around the house, knowing it made his sister happy.

"I just," Quinn sighed as she thought about it. She was going to have the other girls in the wedding as well as bridesmaids. "Always thought I'd ask Aria."

"Oh," CeCe sighed sympathetically, brushing a piece of hair out of her friend's face. "I know sweetie." She squeezed her hand. "That's why I'm going to be extra awesome, just for you." Quinn laughed a little. "When's the wedding?"

"Next summer."

"Well, then let's get planning!" CeCe grinned, wanting to take Quinn's mind off of things.

* * *

After shopping around for bridal magazines with CeCe and promising they could go dress shopping as soon as her mother was free, Quinn went home alone after Jason called and said he was going to be late. He was waiting for his parents to get there so they could figure out what to do next. Entering the house, she jumped when she saw the three of them sitting on the couch waiting for her; she forgot Jason gave Spencer a key.

"Sorry," Emily told her quickly, seeing they had frightened her. Quinn came in and sat on the chair that was near the couch.

"We have to talk to you," Hanna said just as fast, though Spencer nudged her when she saw Quinn's hand; they couldn't ruin today any further. "Wait, did Jason..." Quinn nodded. "Quinn, that's awesome!"

"Great," Spencer agreed with a smile.

"We're so happy for you," Emily told her.

"Start thinking of bridesmaid dress colors," Quinn told them with a half smile.

"Oh my God, are you serious?" Hanna asked in pure glee. She always wanted to be a bridesmaid, though the one time she was at her dad's wedding last year was the worst experience of her life. "Can they be short? Because those long ones Isabelle picked were-"

"I think Quinn should get to pick them," Spencer laughed a little. They were going to tell her what happened last night, that they were at the cemetery after the grave had been dug up. Even worse, they got pictures that morning at the lake house of them at the grave site, making them look guilty. It had A written all over it, but they couldn't tell her, not now.

"It'll be June," Quinn explained as there was a knock at the door. "So, short will be good." She got up to answer the door now.

"And, I don't do green," Hanna called after her and Quinn gave a thumbs up over her shoulder.

"Hanna," Emily quietly scolded and she shrugged.

"Well, it's true," Hanna said as Quinn came back with an envelope.

"What's that?" Spencer asked as Quinn opened it, sliding the picture out. Quinn dropped it immediately, sinking onto the chair again, her chest heavy. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Quinn," Emily said in concern, going over to her while Spencer and Hanna looked at the picture. It was a picture of Quinn sitting in Jason's lap the night before as he slid the ring on her finger.

The caption read: CongratulAtions.

**thanks for reading! :) hope you liked the update, more soon! please review! :) (thoughts on who could be helping aria, not toby or cece?)**


	20. New Secrets

**thanks so much for the reviews and follow! :) it really means a lot to me, you're all amazing! hope you like this update :) **

_New Secrets_

"What are you doing?" Spencer asked as Quinn grabbed the photo from her and headed for the door.

"I'm not going through this again," Quinn told her, grabbing her bag as she planned to go to the police.

"You can't!" Hanna stopped her and Quinn looked at her in confusion. "A got us too."

"What?" Quinn snapped.

"Last night," Emily tried to explain. "We were drinking and I..." She trailed off, feeling ashamed. "I don't know how, but I ended up at Ali's grave..." Quinn's eyes went big. "It was already dug up!" Emily was feeling defensive, ever since she called Hanna and Spencer to get her last night.

"But A took pictures," Spencer went on. "So..."

"We look guilty," Hanna finished for her. "That's why we came over here."

"Oh my God," Quinn sighed, sinking back on the chair and taking her head in her hands.

Quinn's head was spinning. She couldn't believe that she was getting another message from A, she thought that this was all over. This, combined with her being short of breath from panic, made her feel like she was going to pass out. Emily was kneeling in front of her, trying to calm her down. Her words were kind and sweet, very Emily, but they weren't helping.

A was back and was outside her house last night, watching her and Jason as they got engaged. She felt like she was going to be sick. While Emily continued to attempt to soothe her, Spencer was quickly scrambling to hide the photo in Quinn's stack of magazines on the coffee table. Quinn realized that she was doing this because Jason was coming home now with Jessica, having spent all day at the police station.

"Whoa," Jason said as he came in, Emily moving immediately knowing that he'd want to be the one kneeling next to Quinn. "What happened, what's going on?" Quinn's face was still buried in her hands. "Quinn, babe-"

"It was our fault," Spencer said quickly, causing Jason to look over at his sister in confusion. They couldn't talk about A right now, not with Mrs. DiLaurentis here since she would immediately go to the police.

"What?" he asked, not understanding.

"We just, um," Spencer tried to think up a quick lie. "Came over to congratulate Quinn on the engagement-"

"You two got _engaged_?" Jessica gasped. She had been with her son all day and he hadn't brought it up once, but given the circumstances it kind of made sense. Jason ignored her for now, focusing on Spencer as he wanted to understand what had upset Quinn so badly. He was sitting on the edge of the coffee table in front of her, his hand resting on her knee.

"We thought..." Spencer trailed off. "That she should come to Radley with us next week to tell-"

"Are you serious?" Jason snapped at her. Quinn hadn't been to see Aria once, her parents were the only ones that went; Mike didn't even go. It was too heartbreaking and just the thought of her sister triggered too many awful memories from those agonizing months they were tortured by A.

"We're sorry," Hanna added. "We didn't think that-"

"Clearly," Jason continued, standing up now.

"Jay, stop," Quinn told him from her seat, running a hand through her hair as she got a handle on her breathing. "They just wanted to help." Jason just shook his head, looking away. "You girls should go."

"Right."

"Yeah."

"See you guys," they were all agreeing as they quickly exited the house, leaving the awkward tension behind.

"So," Jessica said after a long pause as she sat on the couch on the end closest to Quinn. "An engagement, that's certainly big news."

"Today didn't seem like the best day," Jason explained to his mother, but she ignored him and held out her hand to Quinn.

"Let me see honey," Jessica smiled warmly and Quinn gave her hand out to show her ring. "Oh, Jason, it's gorgeous!" She admired it once more before releasing Quinn's hand. "Have you two thought of a date?"

"The second weekend in June," Quinn answered and Jessica looked surprised.

"That's in nine months!" Jessica said. "Less than a year, you better get planning." She smiled again at her next thought. "I would love to help you both."

"You don't have to do that mom," Jason told her, knowing that her financial situation wasn't the best since the divorce. Quinn's parents already had a wedding fund for each of their daughters so they were already helping out a lot, plus Quinn and Jason had money of their own.

"Don't be ridiculous," Jessica insisted. "This is the only wedding I can throw." Quinn felt immediately uncomfortable.

"Well," Quinn changed the subject quickly to avoid bringing up the obvious, that Alison was gone. "Next weekend I was going to go dress shopping with my mom and CeCe, if you want to come Mrs..." She forgot she was supposed to call her by her first name. "Jessica."

"I would _love_ that," Jessica smiled at her. "Well, I'm sure you two want to be alone..." She got up from the couch, staying in the guest room that night since they were going to meet with police again early the next morning. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night."

"Night," Quinn said as Jessica went upstairs. "The morning?" She was asking Jason.

"Gotta go back to the station," Jason sighed. "More questions, trying to figure out who might have done this." Quinn nodded. "That was nice of you, to invite my mom."

"She's going to be my mother in law," Quinn shrugged. Really, she couldn't imagine what it was like to have one daughter and then lose her, never having graduations or a wedding for her.

"If she gets..." He wasn't sure how to word it, though he knew how his mother could be. "Out of hand, you can just tell me and I'll talk to her." He knew what his mother was doing, that she was going to throw herself into this wedding because she could never have one for her own daughter.

"It's fine Jay," Quinn assured him. After everything they'd been through, she knew that an over zealous mother in law was the least of their problems.

"Do you want to tell me what happened earlier?" Jason finally asked, wondering what was going on with the girls there.

"They just thought about going to see Aria," Quinn lied. "Just thinking about it...kinda snow balled and freaked me out." Jason nodded in understanding; Quinn hesitated and bit her lip. "What if...I did go to see Aria?"

"Are you serious?" Jason asked her. He wasn't mad, but he was certainly surprised.

"I just think it might help," Quinn reasoned, though it wasn't for the reason he was thinking. She needed to see Aria in the hospital, though her parents had been there plenty of times. She needed to know that she was locked up and she wasn't the one doing this. "For...closure."

"I can take you this week if you want," Jason offered, though Quinn immediately shook her head.

"I'll just go tomorrow," she said. "You have all this stuff going on with your family, I can deal with the stuff with mine."

"Can you?" Jason asked curiously. He wasn't being mean, just honest. It had taken her months to get back to sleeping normally, and she was still on edge as the slightest creak in the house.

"Yeah," Quinn insisted. She couldn't tell Jason about A, not with everything that was going on with the vandalism as his sister's grave. "Look, I'll see if my mom wants to go, I was going to stop at the house with those." She motioned to the magazines.

"If you want," Jason agreed hesitantly.

* * *

Jason and Jessica were already off to the police station Sunday morning before Quinn even got up. She hadn't actually planned to go to her parents' house that day, but she grabbed the magazines to take over there so she wouldn't look suspicious to Jason. That afternoon, she knew her parents were going to be at a cookout for the holiday at one of Byron's coworker's homes. Not hearing Mike upstairs, she jumped when he came into the dining room where she was leaving the magazines.

"Oh, hey," Quinn laughed, letting out a breath of relief. "You didn't go with mom and dad?"

"Those faculty parties always suck," Mike commented as Quinn went over to the refrigerator to grab a drink.

"True," she agreed with a smile as Mike stood by the table, looking at the pile of magazines.

"What are these for?"

"Wedding stuff," Quinn answered.

"I never really told you congrats Quinn," Mike recalled, being pretty sullen the day before. He had days like that, where nothing really got to him to make him happy or sad; he was just blank, emotionless.

"Well, thanks," Quinn smiled, kissing her baby brother's cheek. "You're going to be paired with Emily, I hope that's ok." Eric was Jason's Best Man, his only friend left from high school and he was obviously paired with Maid of Honor CeCe. With their new connection through the girls, Caleb and Toby were groomsmen as well, being partnered with their girlfriends who were bridesmaids. Emily and Mike were the only ones left.

"She's hot," Mike nodded, though it didn't matter. Quinn rolled her eyes a bit at her brother, but he was now sixteen after all, Quinn twenty two and Jason a year older, the girls eighteen. "What are you doing today Quinn?"

"I picked up an extra shift at the hospital," she lied to him. "But I'll see you for mom and dad's party tomorrow."

"K," Mike nodded as she left. Curious, he started sifting through the stack of magazines that Quinn had left on the table. What Quinn forgot was to take the picture from A out of the magazines, leaving it there for Mike to find. Folding the picture and stuffing it in his pocket, he immediately set out to find Jason.

* * *

Quinn sat in the car for an hour before getting out, crossing the parking lot towards the entrance to Radley Sanitarium. She'd had a knot in her stomach since she had left Mike, the heaviness sitting with her for the hour as she drove into the city, then sat in the car for another hour as she debated going in. Finally working up the nerve, she went inside, stopping at the desk to sign in. The nurse lead her back the hall, unlocking the door for Aria's room where she told her she only had an hour until visiting hours were over.

It wasn't a surprise how different her sister looked. Her hair was barely brushed, she wore no make up. Her edgy outfits were swapped for over sized shirts, sweaters, and pajama pants, her worn out slippers laying on the floor. She sat in a chair by the window, re-reading the same book.

"It's _you_," Aria rolled her eyes when she saw her sister, looking back to her book. "I thought it was Ella again." Quinn was surprised. The last she heard, Aria wasn't speaking to anyone.

"Um," Quinn hesitated, continuing to stand. "How...are you?"

"There's bars on my window," Aria scoffed, turning the page. "Don't be so stupid Quinn." She shut the book, looking at her sister now and observing her in her jeans, blue tank top, and flip flops. "You look cute." It came out sarcastically.

"Uh...thanks," Quinn said uncomfortably. Even if she was talking again, her demeanor was still aggressive, angry. It was like the night in the car when she came out as A.

"You can sit," Aria told her bluntly and Quinn dropped to sit on the bed quickly. It still freaked her out to be anywhere near her sister. "What did you want?" She finally noticed the ring on Quinn's finger. "Throw your happiness in my face?"

"Aria-"

"It's not unlike you," Aria continued to accuse. "You get the house and the engagement, I get dumped and sent off to the nut house."

"That's not why I came," Quinn said firmly, though on the inside she felt like she was about to throw up. Aria eyed her sister suspiciously, then a sick smile crept onto her face when she realized.

"You're getting messages again," Aria observed and Quinn remained silent, shifting uncomfortably. "Wow," Aria laughed. "This worked out better than I expected." Quinn looked at her curiously. "I told them to wait for the right moment to start again. Ruining your engagement, that's pretty perfect."

"This isn't a game to me Aria," Quinn snapped at her.

"Oh me either," Aria assured her, her smile wicked. Then, the door to Aria's room opened and her doctor entered. Quinn remembered her mom saying that Melissa's former fiance, Wren, was treating Aria at the hospital.

"Sorry," he apologized, his accent thick. "I didn't realize anyone was here." He smiled warmly. "You must be Quinn."

"She was just leaving," Aria said coldly.

"I can wait," Wren offered politely.

"She's bothering me," Aria said through her teeth. Quinn got up from where she sat, pushing by Wren and out of the room as she fought of the tears. Her sister knew who was messing with her and there was no way to stop it.

"Miss," Wren stopped her in the hall. She wiped the tears away before turning to him.

"Yeah?" Quinn asked him with crossed arms.

"How are you?" he asked kindly. "With all of this?"

"Oh just fantastic," Quinn snapped sarcastically; she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I-"

"It's fine," Wren assured her, observing her behavior. "Have you...considered seeing someone?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," Quinn said in confusion.

"It's just that, with your sister and your brother-"

"Mike?" Quinn asked with raised eye brows. "He's depressed." She pointed at Aria's door. "Not deranged."

"I think that your sister can return to a normal life with medication," Wren explained.

"You would change your tune if you were in the car with her that night," Quinn told him, turning to leave again.

"I know your family history," Wren said, getting her to stop again. The family history she knew, of course, was in reference to her Uncle Scott. "And Aria told me about-"

"My alcoholism?" Quinn asked as she turned back around to him. "Well, trust me, it's in check. And I don't need some random doctor that I just met telling me I'm crazy."

"You're not crazy," he assured her. "And neither is your sister."

"That is seriously up for debate," Quinn muttered, turning one last time and leaving for good.

* * *

Jason returned that afternoon, his parents having gone back to their respective homes as they finished at the police station. All that was left to do now was wait for the investigation to pan out, though they were all sure it had something to do with Garrett and his trial. While he hadn't expected Quinn to be home, her car not in the driveway, he was surprised at who was sitting on his porch.

"Hey Mike," Jason greeted him, giving the teen a half smile. "I didn't know you were coming over, hope you weren't waiting long."

"I really need to talk to you," Mike told him, his tone urgent. Jason nodded, letting him inside.

"So, what's on your mind?" Jason asked as he tossed his keys on the table. When he turned to Mike, he was already holding out the picture A had sent Quinn. Jason took it, looking at for a moment. "Where did you get this?"

"I found it," Mike started to explain. "In Quinn's magazines she left for mom. Maybe she didn't know it was there."

"No, she did," Jason sighed, setting the picture on the table. "That's why she went to see Aria today."

"Quinn said she was working," Mike said in confusion. Jason sighed, shaking his head. It was all starting again, the paranoia, the secrets. "I didn't know if we should call the cops..."

"No, no," Jason shook his head. Who knew what this A had on them now. It was really bold to just send them a picture from outside their house. "You were right bringing this over, thanks." Mike nodded.

"What are we going to do?" Mike asked; Jason shook his head at him.

"We're not doing anything," Jason told him. "You let me handle this, all right?"

"They're my sisters," Mike said of Quinn and Aria. "If I knew what Aria was doing-"

"Hey," Jason stopped him, seeing Mike was getting upset. "Don't go there, all right?" He knew that life was a constant what if game. What if he knew what Aria was doing. What if he knew that Garrett and Ian were going to take the videos that far.

"You can't keep me out of this again," Mike told him and Jason nodded in understanding.

"Let me talk to Quinn first," Jason planned out. "For now, we don't know if we can go to the police, or your parents. Ok?" Mike nodded. "Just go home for now and try not to worry. We can talk tomorrow at your parents' party, ok?"

* * *

Jason waited at home alone for Quinn to get back. Shortly after Mike left, Quinn finally returned home from Philadelphia. He knew that Mike was worried, he had every reason to be, so Jason assured him they would talk the next day. Quinn's parents were having a cookout that Monday, inviting friends as well as Byron's coworkers. Quinn didn't really want to go, but she knew it was her parents way of trying to appear that everything was normal. She was sure her engagement was going to be the center of the chatter.

"Hey," Quinn said as she came in, finding Jason in the kitchen as he got a glass of water.

"How was it?" Jason asked.

"Ah," Quinn thought about it. "Aria hates me and her doctor thinks I'm crazy too."

"What?" Jason asked in shock.

"It was...weird," Quinn brushed it off. "What happened at the station?"

"Just more questions," Jason shook his head, not wanting to get off topic. "What made you want to go see Aria?" Quinn scrunched up her eye brows.

"To get closure on this," Quinn repeated. "To put it behind me while we try to start planning our-"

"Does it have anything to do with this?" Jason interrupted, handing Quinn the photo. Quinn bit her lip, setting it on the counter as she didn't look at Jason. "Why wouldn't you tell me about this?"

"I didn't want you to worry," Quinn tried to reason. "With all this stuff with Alison..."

"Well, Mike's the one that found it," Jason told her, not wanting her to get blindsided by her brother. "And now he's freaked out."

"It's not my fault," Quinn said defensively.

"I'm not saying it is," Jason assured her. "But, you should have told me Quinn." She didn't say anything. "After everything we went through, you know you can trust me with this."

"I told you," Quinn argued. "Your sister's grave was vandalized, you've spent the last two days at the police station-"

"And nothing anyone does at this point will bring my sister back!" Jason snapped at her. "I'm more concerned about keeping the people that are still around here safe. And you're at the top of that list."

"What do we do with this Jay?" Quinn asked, her eyes tearing up. "A got the girls at the cemetery, who knows what they have on us." Jason stepped closer to her, taking her hands. "Aria knows who is doing this, it's whoever was helping her before." She started panicking. "I can't do this again Jason, I can't. I..."

"It's all right," Jason promised, pulling her in close and squeezing her tight. "I'm going to go talk to Aria tomorrow, in the morning." Quinn opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her. "We're going to need something, something to tell the girls and Mike."

"Ok," Quinn agreed reluctantly.

"It'll be fine," Jason assured her, kissing her forehead.

* * *

Nothing was fine as far as Quinn was concerned. Right now, she was surrounded a crowd of people at her parents' party, all of them asking her a range of questions. A lot of them wanted to congratulate her on her engagement, which would have been better if her fiance had actually been there. He was still in the city, waiting to get in to talk to Aria since she was with one of her doctors. People were asking her other questions too, things they didn't want to ask her parents; about Mike's troubles, about Aria.

"Have you been to see your sister honey?" Mrs. Ackerd asked politely.

"I, um," Quinn said as she attempted to stall, seeing the girls scattered among the guests of the party. Spencer caught her eye, looking concerned. She excused herself from her parents, going over to Quinn.

"Hey Quinn," Spencer interrupted. "I think your parents wanted you to get some ice."

"Ok," Quinn said, thankful for the excuse to run inside, away from all the chaos of the yard. She could hear Mrs. Ackerd asking Spencer about her own sister and she rolled her eyes. People in this town were too nosy for their own good. When Quinn got inside, the house was empty. There were snacks set out on the table, as well as a row of drinks at the end of the table. She looked at them, feeling the temptation as her anxiety continued it's non stop climb since the day before.

"Quinn?" she heard someone saying behind her; Ezra.

"Oh, hey," Quinn greeted him. "What are you..." Then she remembered. "You work with my dad." Ezra nodded.

"I wanted to call," he tried to explain. "See how you were..." He shrugged. "It never seemed like the right time or the right thing to say."

"It's all right," she promised him.

"Are you doing ok?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," she lied, eyeing the vodka and cranberry juice out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah, I'll be ok. I just...need a minute before going back out."

"To the mad swarm," Ezra observed and she nodded, smiling a little. "And, hey, congrats Quinn."

"Thanks," she said, watching him go. Once he was gone, with no one else around, Quinn grabbed a bottle and made a bolt for her old bedroom.

**thanks for reading! :) hope you liked the update, more soon! please let me know what you thought! :)**


	21. Relapse

**thanks so much for the reviews, favorite, and follow! :) it means a lot to me. i'm glad you're all enjoying the story! hope you like this update :) **

_Relapse_

Time passed differently when you were drinking, that's what Quinn remembered. It felt faster, maybe the spinning in her head was part of it. She didn't know how long she had been upstairs in her room, not until the girls had come looking for her. She heard their voices in the house calling for her, but she made no attempt to move off her bed. She just laid sideways on her bed, her hair hanging off the edge of it; then, her bedroom door opened. From upside down, she started laughing when she saw her.

"Spencer!" Quinn giggled, rolling off her bed. Unsteady, she fell over with a thump, the skirt of her sundress fanned out around her.

"Oh God," Spencer said when she saw the bottle on Quinn's bed.

"Don't be mad," Quinn said seriously, shaking her head as she got up. Spencer went over to steady her. "I just...I'm not awesome right now."

"Hey," Hanna interrupted, followed by Emily into the room. "You found her." She immediately knew that Quinn was drunk, just by her stance.

"Oh no," Emily said softly.

"Guys, really, it's fine," Quinn insisted, slurring a little.

"It's not," Spencer told her as Hanna took Quinn from her, fluffing her hair and then giving her a few mints from her purse. "Your parents were looking for you, and Jason is on his way." Quinn's reaction wasn't what Spencer expected; she started laughing.

"I'm sorry," Quinn giggled. "I just..." She kept laughing. "With everything that's going on...this is like, not important at all." She shook her head as she kept laughing. "Being drunk in front of my parents."

"Quinn," Emily said gently.

"Let's do it!" Quinn said, bouncing over towards the door. The girls looked at each other awkwardly, wondering what they should do.

"At least she's a happy drunk," Hanna pointed out.

"Hanna," Spencer warned, the three of them going to follow Quinn's trail. They heard her at the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh, it's CeCe," Quinn smiled big, hugging her friend tight. CeCe and Eric had been at an earlier party, coming over to the Montgomery house now.

"It's...me," CeCe said with uncertainty in her voice as she hugged Quinn back, looking to the girls for an answer. Spencer held up the nearly empty bottle.

"Someone started early," Eric commented, earning a smack from his girlfriend before she told him to meet her out back at the party.

"Sweetie," CeCe said to Quinn, taking her face. Quinn was giggling still, holding her hands over CeCe's hands. "Is Jason here?"

"No," Quinn shook her head.

"Where is he?" CeCe asked in confusion, letting her friend go.

"Seeing Aria," Quinn answered, starting to play with a piece of her hair.

"Why?" CeCe snapped.

"Because she's a bitch," Quinn shrugged.

"Oh...kay," CeCe said, none of this making sense to her, not that she expected it to. "Let's get you water or something, ok?"

"The water is outside," Quinn said, remembering the cooler on the patio. CeCe had been hoping to keep her in the kitchen until she managed to sober up a little.

"Go distract her parents," CeCe mumbled to the girls, the girls taking the hint and rushing outside ahead of CeCe and Quinn.

The girls went over to Ella and Byron, talking to them about random things, telling Ella that Ashley had been looking for her. Meanwhile, CeCe ordered Quinn to sit at the table under the umbrella while she got her a bottled water. Quinn rested her elbows against the glass surface of the table, taking her face in her hands. It was that point in her being drunk that she was spinning too much, she had taken it too far; she always did.

"Where the hell have you been?" CeCe snapped, causing Quinn to look up quickly, bringing on a bigger dizzy spell that sank straight to her stomach.

"What's your problem?" Jason asked back.

"Quinn's hammer-" CeCe didn't get the rest of her sentence out before she noticed Quinn was out of her seat, off to the side throwing up in the bushes.

"Shit," Jason mumbled, instinctively going over to Quinn and grabbing her hair for her as she finished getting sick; she had attracted the attention of a few people nearby and he waved them off, telling them it was something she ate. Her mother came over to check on her though as she was standing back up, worried. It didn't take her long to tell that Quinn had been wasted; her daughter wreaked of booze.

"Quinn," Ella said, her voice a mixture of both gentle concern and seriousness.

"I just want to go home," Quinn told her.

"I'll take her," Jason said, slipping his arm around her waist to support her.

* * *

That was the last thing Quinn remembered. Waking up, feeling groggy and slightly nauseous still, she looked over at the alarm clock that was on the nightstand next to her bed; it was only seven o'clock. Pulling herself out of bed, still in her dress from the party, she glanced at herself in the mirror. Her hair a mess, her make up smeared with sleep, the sick expression on her face. She looked like hell. Going downstairs, she followed the sounds of Jason making dinner in the kitchen.

"Morning," Jason mumbled sarcastically, still at the stove. He piled some pasta on his own plate before smothering it in sauce. "Dinner's on the stove if you want any," he said as he walked by her, going out to the table.

"Jay," Quinn sighed as he went by, barely looking at her. "Jason."

"What would you do?" Jason asked, looking over at her finally. She stood across the table from him, standing behind a chair with her hands resting on it. "If I was there, completely trashed."

"I'm sorry if I...if I embarrassed you," Quinn said. "Or my parents-"

"You think that's what I'm upset about?" Jason asked her with raised eye brows. "What other people are thinking about us?" He shook his head at her. "Well, if that's what you're worried about, you should know no one thought you were wasted today." She looked at him curiously. "We're getting married in nine months and you randomly got sick in the middle of the day. Everyone thinks you're pregnant."

"Great," Quinn muttered, though she honestly didn't care about what the people of Rosewood thought at the moment.

"Why didn't you talk to me?" Jason asked her. "If you were that upset, why would keep it from me?"

"You weren't around," Quinn mumbled, looking at her hands that she was busy twisting nervously.

"Don't do that," Jason told her. "You could have talked to your mom, CeCe, any one of the girls-"

"I already feel shitty enough as it is Jay," Quinn snapped at him. "I get it, I messed up." She unknowingly started to tear up. "And, I'm sorry." If Jason hated one thing, it was seeing Quinn upset. He got up and went to sit on her side of the table with her.

"I know," he promised as he came over, taking a seat beside her. "And, I'd be lying if I said I didn't slip before." While Jason had gone back to school after Alison disappeared, he had started to try getting clean. Missing Quinn and the issues at home though could sometimes cause him to relapse.

"I'm sorry," Quinn repeated. "I didn't mean..." She shook her head. That wasn't right, obviously she hadn't meant to. "It's just that...everyone was there, and they were talking to me about Aria, and Mike..." She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "God, does Mike know I was drinking?" The last she wanted was to disappoint her brother.

"He wasn't home," Jason shook his head. "He went over to a friend's place for awhile." Quinn nodded. "I never saw her."

"What?" Quinn asked, but then she realized. He had never gotten in to see Aria that afternoon. "Why, what happened?"

"Her doctors said the visits lately have made her more agitated," Jason explained. "So, for now, she's not allowed to have anymore visitors."

"We're not any closer to finding out who this new A is," Quinn sighed, taking her head in her hands; she felt Jason's hand on her back.

"We'll figure it out like we did last time," Jason reasoned.

"Last time I almost got run off the road," Quinn pointed out numbly.

"Well, I won't let it get to that," Jason said with a half reassuring smile, kissing her head.

* * *

Days passed. And, with the first few days of school, came the delivery of a few items from Alison's grave to the girls. That included a necklace that was made out of human teeth. The necklace was gone now, not that it mattered. With the new pictures of the girls at Alison's grave, there was no way they could go to the police. The incriminating photos didn't stop there, which Jason realized when he found a brown envelope waiting for him on his desk Friday morning.

_"They were pictures of what?"_ Quinn hissed into the phone at work, sitting in a chair at the nurses' station.

"Me and you," Jason whispered, careful to see who might be out in the hall. "Those times, you used to drive me into Philly..." She knew what he was hinting at; the drug dealing.

_"Oh God,"_ Quinn complained, her head falling back against the chair.

_"Quinn?"_ Jason heard one of the other nurses saying in the background, just coming back with her lunch.

_"Uh, yeah, so your mom is coming at noon tomorrow?"_ Quinn asked Jason, covering it up. She was due to go dress shopping the following afternoon with their mothers and CeCe.

"The first thing you thought of complaining about was my mom?" Jason mused.

_"Yeah, well I don't think it's very funny,"_ Quinn said, rolling her eyes at the other nurse and mouthing out _oh my God_, making the other girl snort.

"Mhmm," Jason laughed a bit. "I'll see you at home babe. Love you."

_"Love you too,"_ Quinn said before hanging up.

* * *

The last thing Quinn wanted to do this afternoon was go dress shopping, that was for sure; they were the only ones in the small, locally owned dress shop. But, she had to keep up a face, acting like everything was fine. Her mom and Jessica pulled out a few dress choices for her to try on, while CeCe looked through the dress rack with Quinn, quietly asking her if she was ok. She seemed to be the only person here today that wasn't walking on eggshells around her, coming right out and asking if she was doing alright.

"I'm fine Ce," Quinn assured her, taking the last few dresses to the back in the changing room alone. She hung up the dresses, the dressing room very spacious. Setting her bag on a nearby chair, she kicked off her shoes and peeled off the red sundress she had been wearing. She reached for the dress that her mother had picked out first, when her phone started to buzz with a text message. Leaving the dress for a moment, she grabbed her phone in case it was an emergency. It was a text from Spencer.

_SOS_

Quinn sighed as she typed out a response.

_Middle of dress shopping, can it wait?_

She couldn't just run out on her mom and the others, not without looking majorly suspicious. Spencer finally replied.

_Don't be mad. Went to see Garrett today_

Quinn's mouth dropped open.

_WHY?!_

"Quinn!" Jessica called. "Are you coming honey?"

"Just a sec," Quinn mumbled, dropping her phone and sliding into the first wedding dress, a strapless mermaid style dress picked out by her mother. Stepping out of the room, she walked over in front of the three fold mirror. There were plush chairs and couches all around where CeCe, Jessica, and Ella were all sitting.

"Oh, I like it," Ella smiled, coming over closer to observe her daughter; Quinn's face was scrunched up. "What is it?"

"I don't like it," Quinn admitted. She motioned down towards the bottom of the dress, where the skirt fanned out. All she could really think about though was getting an answer from Spencer. She pointed back at the dressing room with her thumb. "I'm gonna change in the next one." As she hurried out of the main room, she heard Jessica saying something about how she hoped they got to see her in the dresses for more than a minute; Quinn rolled her eyes as she got out of the dress, grabbing her phone from her bag again; there was a new message.

_I know. But I thought he might know who took Ali's body. He said he did!_

Quinn rolled her eyes again at the naive teenager.

_Well did he tell you who it was?_

She set the phone down, grabbing the dress that Jessica picked next, a big ball gown that she imagined a princess wearing. She already disliked it on the hanger, but she was going to amuse Jessica anyway. As she finished putting the dress on, her phone finally buzzed again.

_That's the thing. Garrett wants my mom to represent him_

Quinn sighed.

_Yeah right_

Once she hit send, she left the dressing room once more, having to hold the skirt as she walked out in front of the mirror again.

"You look gorgeous honey," Jessica told her, happy with her choice.

"You do," Ella agreed, helping her with the skirt, smoothing it out in necessary places; Quinn made that face again. "What is it this time?"

"I feel like Cinderella," Quinn admitted.

"Ugh, and Cinderella was the worst," CeCe agreed with a wink. "Go try on mine!"

"The one you picked out was short CeCe," Ella reminded her, already disapproving.

"Quinn has great legs," CeCe reasoned with a laugh, though she could tell the way Quinn was smiling at her she already didn't like the short dress idea either. "Fine! Go try on your other one before we start over." She noticed Quinn looking at something outside. "Quinn?" CeCe asked in confusion. "What are you..." She trailed off when she turned her head and saw what she was looking at. Melissa Hastings was walking down the sidewalk, pushing a baby stroller.

"Oh God," CeCe muttered. Spotting them inside, Melissa smiled at them, coming inside to say hello.

"Hi Quinn, CeCe," she smiled warmly at them. Melissa smiling freaked Quinn out, since she rarely saw a genuine one coming from her. "Hi," she smiled at Ella and Jessica.

"Hi Melissa," Ella smiled back at her.

"Oh, is this your little one?" Jessica asked her.

"Yes!" Melissa beamed, showing off the three month old baby dressed up all in pink as she laid wide eyed in her stroller. "This is Taylor."

"She's really sweet," CeCe said, feeling like either she or Quinn should say something. Judging by the shocked look on Quinn's face, it wasn't going to be her.

"Thank you," Melissa said politely. "Quinn, that dress is beautiful." She smiled at her. "I tried on one like that, when me and Wren were engaged. Doesn't it make you feel like a princess?"

"Uh huh," Quinn nodded, not sure what was going on. Since when was Melissa so happy to see her? "When did you get back to Rosewood?"

"Last weekend," Melissa answered. "It's just been hard, with Taylor and everything. Thought I'd move home for awhile, back to the barn." She was still smiling. "Anyway, I should get going. But it was nice seeing all of you!"

"You too," Quinn answered, though still clearly suspicious.

* * *

Quinn was amazed that she found a wedding dress that day, though she was glad that she did. It was a strapless dress, with a high, empire waistline; the skirt was long, with a bit of a train, the fabric soft. The ordeal was enough for her, but she figured that bridesmaid dresses would be an even bigger adventure, with Hanna and CeCe being at the center of her picky troubles. Coming home after she placed the order for her dress, she found Jason sitting on the couch, his phone sitting on the coffee table.

"What's up?" Quinn asked, climbing over the back of the couch to sit next to him.

"I didn't mean to look," Jason told her.

"What?" Quinn asked in confusion and he nodded at his phone. Not sure what he was talking about, she grabbed his phone and read the last message he got.

_Isn't it bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress?_

Attached was a picture of Quinn in the Cinderella dress his mom had picked out, right before Melissa came in.

"I knew it!" Quinn exclaimed as she looked at the message still.

"What?" Jason asked with raised eye brows.

"Melissa is A," she tried to explain.

"Melissa Hastings?" Jason asked, still completely confused.

"She's been back since Labor Day," Quinn reasoned. "And she was outside the shop when I was trying that dress on." She handed the phone to him. "And, that's not my dress by the way." Jason nodded, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Why would Melissa be A?" Jason asked her seriously and Quinn looked at him like it was obvious.

"Um, because I killed her husband?" Quinn reminded him. "Because she's raising a baby on her own now and she's pissed."

"Right, she has a baby," Jason pointed out. "A doesn't exactly strike me as being motherly." He shrugged. "Toby thinks it's Jenna and I agree with him."

"Ok, so a blind girl can be A but a new mom can't?" Quinn asked sarcastically and Jason shook his head at her.

"He found her eye drops in the bathroom," Jason explained. "Her surgery this summer worked, she can see."

"And the list just keeps on growing," Quinn mumbled. Just when she thought she had things figured out.

**thanks for reading! :) hope you liked the update, i'd love to hear what you thought! :) more soon! **


	22. Guessing Game

**thanks so much for the reviews, follows, and favorite! :) it means so much to me! you guys are the best! hope you like this update :) **

_Guessing Game_

"Maybe it's Garrett," Hanna said.

The girls were all speculating on who this new A was, since they couldn't get anything from Aria. Spencer had asked Emily and Hanna to come over while she was home alone. Quinn came over eventually, with various magazines and catalogs for the girls to look through to see what style of dress they wanted. She figured they should at least have an idea of what they wanted, before they drove the poor women at the dress shop crazy.

"Why would Garrett be A?" Spencer asked like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. They were all sprawled out among the living room as they flipped through the pages.

"Well, think about it," Hanna said as she turned the page. "Why wouldn't he help Aria? Quinn dumped him to date Jason." Both Quinn and Spencer dropped their magazines into their laps, looking over at Hanna. "I'm sorry! But it's true."

"Garrett's in jail Hanna," Emily reminded her, as if she could forget.

"Ok, well maybe Garrett is the big A, then he has helpers out of jail," Hanna shrugged.

"I'd really like to think that there's just one," Quinn muttered as she flipped the page; she decided to change the subject, holding up the page for the girls to see. She was leaning towards blue as her wedding color, she just wasn't sure which shade. The dress on the page was a light blue, short, satin, with capped sleeves.

"These?" Quinn asked. Emily and Spencer nodded appreciatively; Hanna scrunched up her face. "What is it this time?" Hanna had been picky about the shade of blue, the material, the cut of the dress.

"Sleeves," Hanna answered. "So, did your mom decide to represent Garrett?"

"Can we drop the Garrett talk," Spencer complained. She had already heard enough about it when her mom explained it to her and Melissa earlier that afternoon. Melissa, who was out in the barn now, didn't really seem to care; she seemed to be trying to put everything about her high school group of friends behind her.

"Well, then that leads to Melissa talk," Hanna pointed out.

"My sister isn't A Hanna," Spencer snapped back. Hanna for sure thought it was Garrett, while Quinn thought it was Melissa, though she was sensitive about bringing it up to Spencer. Both Spencer and Emily thought it might be Jenna, since she could see now and wanted to get revenge on them still. Quinn had to whistle to get Hanna and Spencer's attention.

"Can we just not have this talk at all?" Quinn begged them. She was tired, they all were. Waiting on A's next move was exhausting. The waiting was almost worse than the messages. Almost. Soon after a message, they wished for silence again. Before any of the girls could reply, Spencer's parents came back from dinner at the grille.

"Hi girls," Veronica smiled at them, observing their magazines. "Get any good dress ideas?"

"Not yet," Spencer said as her father entered the room now.

"Girls," he nodded at them, then looked to Quinn. "You might want to talk to that fiancee of yours."

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked in confusion.

"Peter," Veronica warned, before looking back at Quinn. "I think that he's just upset that I'm representing Garrett." Quinn nodded quietly.

"That still doesn't excuse him coming over and disrupting our dinner like that," Peter told her. "Flying off the handle like he did." Quinn got up, leaving her magazine for the girls to look through. She knew once she said what she was planning on saying, she was going to have to make a quick get away.

"Well, he's never had a really good father figure around," Quinn told Peter. "Ken's kind of a jerk, and you were pretty absentee." The girls looked at her in shock, Spencer's eyes were wide; few people ever talked to her parents like that. Peter didn't yell or tell her to get out like she had anticipated.

"You might change your mind when you see the flyers," Peter told her.

"What flyers?" Quinn asked in confusion.

* * *

Jason had come home after posting flyers around Rosewood that night, offering a reward for anyone that knew where Alison's body might be. Sitting on the couch, he thought he saw someone outside, but realized it was just Quinn walking back from the Hastings' house. When she came into the house, she looked frustrated but he figured that had to do with looking at the dresses.

"Hanna driving you crazy?" Jason mused as she came over and stood in front of him.

"Why are you putting up those flyers?" Quinn asked.

"Because the police aren't doing anything," Jason told her, like it had been obvious.

"It's not just going to happen over night," Quinn reasoned.

"Do you hear yourself?" Jason laughed a little. "You actually trust the cops in this town? Because, if you do, let me remind you about Garrett and Wilden."

"I get it," Quinn told him. "But do you realize what you've opened us up to? How many people are going to be calling here, all hours of the day?"

"If that helps me put my sister back to rest and maybe helps me find who took her," Jason snapped. "Then I'm ok with it." Quinn sighed, not sure if she could continue having this argument. She saw Jason's point. "I need you to back me on this Quinn." She bit her lip.

"Ok," she reluctantly agreed, though she wasn't sure this was the best idea.

* * *

People were asking Quinn about the flyers the next day at the hospital when she went to work, but she ignored them for the most part. She explained that Jason needed answers for his family, that was the extent of what she told them since it wasn't any of their business. Mostly, she refused to let all the chatter get to her like it had gotten to her at the party, keeping everything in check.

"How is Mrs. Reynolds doing?" Quinn asked, flipping through her chart at the nurses' station. Garrett's mother had been admitted the night before through the ER.

"She's stable now," one of the other nurses, Alyssa, told her. "I heard they were bringing Garrett in today to see her though." Quinn let the folder fall shut on the counter.

"Are you serious?" Quinn asked with raised eye brows.

"They're not sure how long she has," Alyssa explained. "She's stable for now, but she's really sick." She looked at Quinn sympathetically, everyone knowing all the connections between her, Garrett, Jason, and Alison. "You don't have to be on the floor, if you don't want to."

"I'm ok," Quinn shrugged, turning back to the chart, though she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket of her scrubs. Pulling her phone out, it was from a blocked number.

_Miss your boyfriend Quinn? ;) - A_

"Hello Quinn," a voice said from the counter, making her jump; it was Darren, smirking at her.

"What do you want?" Quinn grumbled, closing the chart again to look at him.

"To talk to you about your boyfriend's flyers," Darren told her. "Or, fiancee, I forgot." He looked her over once. "Did I ever congratulate you?"

"Well, I'm sure you wouldn't mean it," Quinn said sarcastically, smiling at him fakely.

"See, I love this," Darren told her, motioning between them. "I missed this."

"As much as I love harassment by your police department," Quinn told him, more sarcasm ringing in her voice. "Did you actually want to ask me something?"

"I just wanted you to know that the flyers aren't necessary," Darren informed her. "We're doing everything we can to find Alison's remains."

"Just like you did everything you could to find her killer over a year later," Quinn said back.

"We still found him," Darren told her and she rolled her eyes. "I'll be bringing him by this afternoon to see his mother."

"Oh, my two favorite people at my hospital," Quinn sighed, looking back at the chart, though there was nothing left for her to look at. She just wanted Darren to take the hint that she was busy. He was still giving her that smirk that made her skin crawl. "Anything else?" He didn't say anything, he just shrugged. "Then, _goodbye_ detective."

* * *

The hospital was buzzing, with everyone talking about Garrett coming by that afternoon to see his mother. It was big news and, if Quinn wasn't so close to all of it, she would surely be fascinated as well. Mrs. Reynolds room was in direct view of the nurses station, so Quinn got to see front and center when Garrett arrived to see his mother. He noticed her there, sending a half smile her way. The same, sweet and innocent smile he'd been giving her since high school. Now, it made her stomach turn.

Garrett wasn't there long before he had to leave, being lead out by several police officers. The managing nurse directed Quinn to check on Mrs. Reynolds now, adjusting any of her IV's if they needed it and checking her vitals. Quinn went in, feeling awkward as soon as she entered. She hadn't been to see Mrs. Reynolds yet. Truthfully, she hadn't seen her much since Garrett's arrest and she felt bad. Mrs. Reynolds always really nice to her, probably because she hoped Quinn would date her son. As she finished checking on her, Quinn noticed a note sticking out under her hospital bracelet.

* * *

"Who?" Jason asked in confusion. Quinn had shown up in his office that afternoon, taking a late lunch as soon as she finished checking on Mrs. Reynolds to tell him about the note.

"April Rose," Quinn answered with a shrug. "I'm going to ask when I get back if anyone else came to see Mrs. Reynolds," she continued, trying to see who the message was for.

"So you think that Garrett is A?" Jason asked, knowing that Garrett had made the list. He still thought it might be Jenna, getting revenge on the girls for what they did and on Quinn and Jason for helping them hide it.

"I mean, he is pissed at us," Quinn reasoned.

"He's pissed at me," Jason corrected her. "I'm pretty sure he still worships you." Quinn rolled her eyes. "You know what this means though."

"That there's more than one of them," Quinn nodded. "I know, but he was helping Aria before. There was always more than one. He's probably the one that moved Ian."

"Maybe," Jason agreed. "But, who does he have helping?" Quinn thought about it.

"He was dating Jenna," Quinn pointed out.

"I don't know," Jason said, still suspicious.

"You think he could have killed Ali, but not that he could be A?" Quinn asked in confusion.

"If you're asking if I think he'd hurt Alison over you, yeah," Jason nodded and Quinn shook her head at him again. "I'm sorry babe, this isn't me being jealous, but I'm being realistic. Garrett _loved_ you, feelings like that don't just go away."

"Well, find out who April Rose is," Quinn told him, ignoring the love comment. After school, she was going with the girls to meet up with CeCe to find bridesmaid dresses. "Maybe she'll know about where Alison's body is." Jason nodded, appreciating the lead a little more now. "Just...be careful Jay."

"I will," he promised her, taking the note. "I'll see you tonight, all right?"

* * *

Quinn decided that the best way to find the bridesmaid dress was to let each girl pull every blue dress that they liked and for them to try them on, modeling them for each other. This way, they could find out what all the girls liked best and hopefully try to consolidate them. At least once they got the dress she'd have the color scheme for the rest of the wedding. So far though, all they could agree on was that the dresses should be short.

"I like the strapless ones," CeCe said and Hanna nodded in agreement. Spencer was fairly indifferent and Emily didn't really like strapless, but was ready to go with it if the other girls liked them.

"Ok, only try on strapless ones then," Quinn said, glad they had narrowed it down somewhat. The other girls went back to try on other dresses, but Emily stayed back, sitting on the couch with Quinn.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Emily asked her softly and Quinn nodded, concerned. "I remembered something about that night," Emily tried to explain. "I think..." She shook her head. "I know I was with Jenna."

"There's no way she dug that grave up though," Quinn reasoned, then sighed, her stomach sinking. This meant that there was probably someone else.

"She's seeing Noel," Emily pointed out, who also had a history of problems with Alison; Quinn was shaking her head, unable to believe this. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't be sorry Em," Quinn assured her. "Jason's out looking into some stuff right now, we're going to figure this out." Emily nodded, though unsure. Spencer, Hanna, and CeCe returned in various strapless, short, blue dresses.

"I really like the satin," Hanna pointed out and CeCe nodded.

"It looks nicer than some of the other material," CeCe agreed.

"Ok," Quinn jumped in; she pointed at CeCe. "You picked strapless." She pointed at Hanna. "You picked satin." She smiled, making it fair and almost too easy. "Spencer and Emily can pick style and color."

"As long as it doesn't make anyone look fat," CeCe shrugged.

"Oh, or washed out," Hanna pointed out and CeCe nodded. Quinn wondered if Jason and Spencer weren't the only secret half siblings in town.

"I really like the dark blue that Emily has on now," Spencer told the girls. "I think it will look really nice." She looked at Emily in concern as she remained on the couch with Quinn. "Em, are you ok?"

"Oh...yeah," Emily nodded, putting a smile on. "Yeah, let me um, see some of the dresses you picked, the dark ones."

"Ok," Spencer said, looking at Quinn who shook her head, meaning she'd tell her later.

"Oh, girls," CeCe stopped all of them. "I wanted to invite you up to the Kahn's cabin this weekend!"

"You're inviting us?" Spencer asked in confusion. If CeCe and Eric were throwing it, it was going to be a much older crowd.

"It'll be so fun," CeCe insisted. "Plus, it'll give us all a chance to be better friends, before the wedding." She grinned at Quinn. "What do you think?"

"It sounds fun," Quinn nodded.

The girls needed to have some fun, they were seniors now after all. She didn't want them to live in this constant fear of A and this was one way she knew for them to blow off steam. Sending the girls back to try on more dresses, Quinn pulled her phone from her bag to check for messages from Jason. There was the same blocked number texting her again. At the top was a picture of her and Emily just now, talking on the couch.

_Keep her quiet, or I will - A_

* * *

The girls all finally settled on a dress. Quinn was surprised, but grateful, that this hadn't taken several trips to the dress shop. She thought that the way they divided up the decision was fair, since she had been mostly afraid of CeCe and Hanna taking control of things, the fashionistas of the group. The dress they settled on was satin material in a shade of deep blue, strapless and fell to the knee. The top part of the dress was pleated, over into a knot that would sit at the waist. The dresses were simple, but pretty. The girls loved them and Quinn was happy a decision was made. When she got home though, she was immediately worried when she heard Jason on the phone; he was arguing with someone.

"Are you serious?" Jason snapped. "No...no, I know that I'm the one that brought it in but..." He stopped as the other person continued. "But that doesn't mean he didn't-" He was cut off once more, hanging up the phone now and throwing it, making Quinn jumped. Jason didn't even know she was there.

"Oh...hey," Jason shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "How was-" She pointed at his phone that was laying on the floor after bouncing off the wall.

"What was that?" she asked right away; Jason sighed.

"Let's sit," Jason told her, leading her over to the couch.

"You're freaking me out," Quinn said as they sat down together. "What's going on?"

"I figured out where I heard April Rose before," Jason started to explain. "It wasn't a girl, it was this old antique place." Quinn remembered it now; Jason and Eric used to meet up behind the building sometimes when they used to deal. "When I went there, I found this old bracelet of Alison's. I figured it was important, so I bought it and took it to the police."

"Ok," Quinn nodded in understanding. "But..." She was still confused. "How did that lead to..." She motioned over to where Jason had been standing before. "The yelling and phone throwing."

"I guess the police had been looking for it," Jason continued. "It had evidence related to Alison's case..." Quinn continued to nod. "It proves that Garrett didn't do it. They're..." He sighed. "They're releasing him tomorrow Quinn."

* * *

Quinn woke up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. She looked around, seeing that Jason was gone but she heard footsteps downstairs. Figuring that he was up getting a glass of water or something, she ignored it and tried to relax. But how could she? They were releasing Garrett from jail tomorrow and he was their main suspect of A. And, she agreed with Jason. Just because Garrett's blood wasn't on the bracelet doesn't mean he didn't kill her. Feeling Jason getting into bed next to her, Quinn sighed.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, turning over to look at him. It wasn't Jason though, it was Garrett, which made her scream. She scrambled to get out of bed, but he rushed after her, knocking her to the floor. Obviously stronger than her, he quickly gained the upper hand, trying to finish what Ian couldn't so many months before.

* * *

"Quinn!" Jason said, shaking her awake. She had been screaming in her sleep as she was having a nightmare. Quinn jolted awake, seeing Jason next to her now, the concern in his eyes.

"Oh my God," Quinn gasped, clinging onto Jason like her life depended on it.

"It's ok," Jason promised as she shuddered against him, holding her tight. She hadn't had any nightmares in months and they were usually about Aria. Tonight though, she had been screaming about Garrett trying to kill her. "It's all right baby, it's all right." He kissed her head. "I won't let him near you."

**thanks for reading! so what do you think? please let me know, thanks as always! :) **


	23. The Accused

**thanks so much for the review, follow, and favorite! :) it means so much, enjoy this update :) new A reveal! (though it'll be awhile before they get in any sort of trouble for it, unlike aria)**

_The Accused_

Quinn woke up late, with Jason already gone for work and having the day off herself. It wasn't an alarm that woke her up though, it was someone ringing the doorbell. Yawning, she rolled herself out of bed, pulling a hooded sweatshirt on over her top, dragging her feet across the floor in her pajama pants. As she made it to the stairs, whoever was at the door rang the bell again.

"I'm coming!" she called in annoyance. The girls and Mike would be in school, her parents were at work. She figured it was probably Darren coming to bother her for whatever reason, he was always good for that. When she opened the door though, she jumped back when she saw who it was.

"Hi," he greeted her with hesitation.

"Garrett?!" Quinn snapped, slamming the door shut and locking it. Just because he was cleared of Alison's murder didn't mean she trusted him or believed that he didn't do it.

"Quinn!" Garrett called from the other side of the door. "C'mon, I just wanna talk." He sighed. "I really need to explain-"

"Get out of here Garrett!" Quinn shouted, going and grabbing her cell phone from the counter. She didn't call the police though, knowing they weren't helping in anything.

"Quinn, I'm serious!" Garrett went on. "There is so much that I have to tell you."

"Well, you can tell it to Jason when he shows up!" Quinn said, knowing that Jason was going to kill Garrett whenever he showed up. Rather than wait around, Garrett knew this too and decided to leave. He was just as afraid of this new A though, knowing that they were all in danger.

_"Hey babe,"_ Jason answered his phone. _"What's up?"_

"Garrett was here," Quinn told Jason quickly, checking through the window to make sure he had gone; she saw his car pulling away.

_"Are you kidding me?_" Jason snapped. _"What was he doing there?"_

"I don't know," Quinn shook her head. "He said that he wanted to tell me something? But, he's gone now."

_"Do you want me to come home?"_ Jason asked in concern. As far as he was concerned, Garrett was the one that killed his sister, regardless of whatever evidence the police decided was relevant. Now, Garrett was out, and the first thing he did was visit Jason's fiancee?

"No," Quinn sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I have to go meet CeCe anyway." She rolled her eyes. "I got volunteered to help set up for the cabin party, because Eric is oh so busy."

_"We don't have to go tonight,"_ Jason said back. The idea of going to a party in a cabin with a bunch of people from high school he didn't really talk to anymore didn't appeal to him, especially when they were all going to be wasted.

"Yes, we do," Quinn said, reminding him that the girls were invited and she wanted to keep an eye on them. Besides, CeCe and Eric were their best friends. "I'll see you up at the cabin."

After hanging up with Jason, Quinn went upstairs to get ready so she could meet up with CeCe. She packed an overnight bag, knowing that she and Jason would be staying up there, even though they wouldn't be drinking. Coming back downstairs, she did a final check to make sure she had everything that she needed. When she opened the door, she jumped when she saw someone on her porch.

"Darren," Quinn said in annoyance. This wasn't the first time he had scared her like that. "What do you want? I'm late for something."

"Just a few questions," Wilden told her. "Has Garrett Reynolds been by here?" Quinn looked at him curiously.

"Why?" she asked with raised eye brows.

"Yes or no Miss Montgomery," Wilden answered.

"No," Quinn lied. She didn't trust Wilden with anything.

"All right," Wilden said, all his other questions based on a visit from Garrett. "If he does or says anything to bother you or Jason, please let us know."

"If you thought he did something, you shouldn't have let him out," Quinn said as Wilden left, shaking her head as she shut the door. Not long after she had shut the door, her phone started buzzing in her pocket.

_Lied to the cops for Jason_  
_Lied to the cops for Garrett_  
_Maybe it is love...see you tonight ;) _

A was coming to the party that night?

* * *

"Hi!" CeCe over enthusiastically greeted the girls when they arrived at the cabin, well after the party started and the booze had been broken into. "I'm so glad you came."

"Us...too," Spencer said, looking at CeCe sideways as she hugged Hanna, letting the last girl go.

"Come in!" CeCe grinned, letting the girls inside. "Come on, all the fun is downstairs."

It was true. There were a few people upstairs in the main part of the cabin, drinking and sitting on the couch. There were also a few people disappearing upstairs into the bedrooms. Downstairs in the basement turned game room though was where the party really was, the music up, the room filled with drunk post college aged kids.

"So, make yourselves at home," CeCe smiled, stopping them in front of the bar. "Help yourself to _whatever_ you want."

"Just not too much," Quinn laughed, coming downstairs now. Since she was the only sober one there, she had offered to go on the pizza run, returning with a few boxes and setting them on the bar.

"Quinn is back!" CeCe said excitedly, hugging her best friend. She pulled back quickly, looking at her friend seriously. "Are you sure you're ok hun?" CeCe had been worried about Quinn and Jason, her two necessarily sober friends at this wild drunken party.

"Yes," Quinn reassured her. "_Yes_, I am fine."

"Ok good," CeCe hugged her again. "I don't want to have a party without you!" She let Quinn go, looking at her again. "Did you talk to Jason?"

"No," Quinn shook her head, becoming serious. She looked at the girls now. "Have any of you heard from Jason?"

"No," Spencer shook her head, wondering where her brother was.

"I'll go ask Eric," CeCe told her, preparing to leave. She stopped like she had just remembered something, turning back to the group. "Oh, and, I think Eric might have done something stupid."

"What kind of something?" Quinn asked curiously, the girls looking at CeCe intently.

"I just found out," CeCe reasoned, like Quinn might get mad if she had known longer. "But, I think he invited Garrett?"

"What?" all three girls gasped.

"Are you serious?" Quinn snapped and CeCe shrugged.

"I think he just wants to see Jason kick Garrett's ass," CeCe said honestly. "I don't know, I honestly doubt Garrett shows." She looked at Quinn with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine Ce," Quinn waved her off, sending her off to find Eric.

"It is not fine," Spencer immediately argued.

"I'm so out of here," Emily agreed.

"What about talking to Jenna?" Hanna asked. That was half the reason they came. They knew that they weren't going to be the only high school kids there that night, knowing Noel went to all of his brother's parties. And, wherever Noel was, Jenna was soon to follow. They had wanted to talk to her ever since Emily remembered being with her that night.

"Nothing is going to happen at this big party," Quinn assured the girls. "Not if we all stick together, all right?" The girls nodded. "Just stick close and we'll be all right."

* * *

Jason was late to the party, but he wasn't worried about that right now. He was waiting for Garrett to show up, at their appointed meeting place behind the gym at the high school. After he had visited Quinn that morning, Jason decided to take things upon himself. Whatever Garrett had to say to Quinn, he could say to Jason. So, against his better judgement, he had called Garrett and set up a time to talk. Garrett seemed extra jumpy, even more so than before he had been arrested. Clearly, something was bothering him, especially since he was making Jason meet in such a private spot in the middle of the night. Who was he afraid of? Garrett pulled up in his car now, throwing it in park before walking over to Jason's car, who was leaning against the driver's side door.

"Hey Reynolds," Jason said, showing little emotion. He felt deep down that Garrett was the one that killed Alison, it made sense. And, here he was, out of jail.

"Thanks for coming," Garrett told him, looking around.

"What are you looking for?" Jason asked with raised eye brows. They were both pretty big guys in really good shape. Who was Garrett afraid of jumping them in the middle of the night?

"There's a lot you don't know," Garrett told his former best friend. "Things about the NAT club, things about that night."

"Why should I believe you?" Jason asked him. While he, Garrett, and Ian had been best friends, they probably had enough lies and secrets between the three of them to last a lifetime.

"Because, like it or not, I care about Quinn," Garrett told him. Jason shifted uncomfortably, his shoulders rigid. "I love-"

"Watch it," Jason warned him now and Garrett held up a hand to show he was backing off.

"I don't want anything to happen to her," Garrett clarified. "I want to help, to make you understand-"

"Understand what exactly?" Jason snapped.

"What happened to your sister," Garrett told him solemnly. "And, about this new A." Jason looked at him in surprise. "You think you're the only one that's heard from them?"

"Do you know who it is?" Jason asked.

"I think so," Garrett nodded. "The night Alison disappeared, I was in her room."

"I know," Jason interrupted. "With Jenna, Ian, and Melissa."

"That video doesn't show everything," Garrett reasoned. "I left and went into the backyard with Jenna, since Ian and Melissa started fighting." Jason nodded. "We ran into your sister out there, her and Jenna started fighting." He shook his head at the memory. "Jenna, she grabbed that field hockey stick and tried to hit Alison, but I took it from her."

"Ali's autopsy said that she was hit in the head," Jason argued.

"It wasn't me!" Garrett tried to tell him. "Jenna kept yelling, I needed her to stop. I swung and hit the tree, your sister screamed and pretended to fall. Jenna thinks that I killed Alison."

"You expect me to believe that?" Jason asked suspiciously.

"It's the truth," Garrett continued. "Jenna had the missing page from your sister's autopsy, she gave it to the police and said I gave it to her."

"That's how you got arrested," Jason commented and Garrett nodded. "Is she A?"

"I don't think," Garrett shook his head. "Not after what I saw that night..."

"What?" Jason demanded.

"I came back," Garrett explained. "I took Jenna home, then came back to your place to check on Alison and talk to you and Quinn." Jason nodded. "That's when I saw them in the yard, arguing."

"Who?"

"Your sister and Wilden," Garrett told him.

"Wilden?" Jason asked in shock and Garrett nodded. "Darren Wilden, detective in my sister's murder."

"He came back because he was pissed at you," Garrett said, remembering how Jason had tried to smash Darren's face in earlier that night for making a move on Quinn. "He wanted to finish the fight, but then he ran into Alison."

"He killed Ali because he was pissed at me?" Jason asked and Garrett shook his head.

"They were arguing," Garrett continued. "Your sister was blackmailing him too."

"With what?" Jason asked; Darren wasn't in on the NAT club.

"Ian and I...we weren't the only one sneaking around with girls that summer," Garrett tried to explain, since he had been seeing Jenna and Ian was seeing Alison; Jason just continued to look confused. "Alison knew that Wilden was sneaking around with Aria."

"Aria?" Jason asked in shock and Garrett nodded. It certainly wasn't a stretch, given Darren's affinity for one Montgomery sister and Aria's repeated affections for guys that were just too old for her. "That's how Aria's still messing with the girls, Wilden's A now?"

"I think so," Garrett answered in agreement.

"You're coming with me to that party," Jason said, turning to open the car door. "You're going to tell Quinn everything that you just told me."

"No way," Garrett shook his head. "I've already said enough, I have to get the hell out of here, before I end up like Ian." While Darren hadn't killed Ian, he had been the one that was able to move the body. He had been Aria's helper all along.

"All right," Jason reluctantly agreed, looking at Garrett a little differently than he had before. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I couldn't tell any of the other cops," Garrett shook his head. "Wilden's running that place. No one would believe he'd been sneaking around with a fifteen year old that summer."

"This could have helped get you cleared sooner," Jason reasoned.

"Or killed in prison," Garrett said lightly. "Be careful Jason."

"You too Reynolds," Jason told him, getting into his car and leaving for the cabin.

* * *

When Jason arrived at the party, it was already pretty thinned out as far as the crowd went. A lot of people brought tents to these kinds of parties, since there weren't many rooms upstairs. The tents were scattered along the front yard, around the now dim fire pit. Inside, there were a few stray people on the couches, starting to pass out. He could hear most of the people downstairs in the game room, heading that way.

"Nice of you to finally show up DiLaurentis!" Eric accused from the couch. He was in the middle of a game of truth with someone else, with CeCe sitting next to him. Quinn and the other girls were sitting over by the bar.

"Where have you been?" Quinn asked. Noel and Jenna had never showed up, but Quinn made the girls stay there with her, not wanting any of them to split up that night.

"I have a lot to tell you," Jason told her, his voice low; the girls listened in too. "Not here though, we gotta get out of here."

"Wait," Quinn said in confusion as she had been checking her phone to see what time it was when Jason finally arrived. "Why did Garrett text me?"

"What?" Jason asked, taking the phone from her and reading the message.

_Meet me in the back room_

He wanted Quinn to meet him in the secret part of the cabin on the main floor, where Jason and Eric used to store their stash of drugs and cash from dealing. After Garrett had been so adamant about leaving town though, Jason found it really odd that Garrett was at the party.

"Quinn, wait," Jason protested as Quinn had already gone off to go upstairs. Enough was enough and she wanted to know what the hell was going on. The girls waited downstairs, letting Jason go after Quinn. Soon after they went upstairs though, they heard Quinn screaming. The girls and everyone else in the basement got to their feet, running upstairs to see what all the screaming was about.

Rounding the corner, the girls saw that the door to the hidden room was open. Quinn and Jason had backed away, with Quinn crying as she huddled herself close to Jason's chest, his arms around her. Not far behind the girls were Eric and CeCe.

"What the hell is going on?" Eric demanded, walking over closer. "Holy _shit_!" he exclaimed, jumping back when he saw, the others peering closer to see.

Laying in the middle of the room was Garrett's body, covered in blood.

* * *

The police were called immediately, every staying at the cabin until the early hours of the morning. None to Jason's surprise, Darren was one of the cops to arrive on scene. They questioned a few people at first, letting them go home. They were never alone, never without one of the other officers for Jason to have a chance to explain to Quinn what had happened, what he found out. Even after they had been questioned, they were forced to wait at the cabin rather than go home, with Jason figuring it was so he couldn't tell Quinn. Darren, being A, had found out what Garrett told Jason and killed him to keep him quiet. Since he already knew though, Jason thought that he might be next.

Sitting in the living room now, it was him, Quinn, the girls, CeCe, and Eric. Darren had gone outside for awhile, taking a few calls from officers that were still in town, asking around if anyone had seen Garrett the night before, trying to find out who he had been with. Finally, he came back into the house.

"Miss Montgomery," Wilden said, addressing her in front of everyone. She was sitting on the couch between Jason and Hanna, with Spencer and Emily on the other side of Jason. "You said you got a text from Garrett, asking you to meet him up here?" She nodded and he pulled something from his pocket. "Do you know what this is?" She rolled her eyes as this seemed like a fairly stupid question.

"Looks like Garrett's phone," she shrugged.

"It is," he confirmed, setting in on the coffee table. "This morning, we found it in your fiancee's car."

"That's bull shit," Quinn immediately accused. It was A screwing with them again, it had to be.

"Jason, you're going to have to come with us," Wilden told him.

"Why?" Jason demanded.

"You're under arrest for the murder of Garrett Reynolds," Wilden said officially and one of the other officers prepared to arrest him.

"You can't arrest him just for that!" Spencer defended Jason.

"We have two witnesses that place Jason behind the high school with Garrett last night," Darren said as the other officer was hand cuffing Jason. "That was the last anyone saw Garrett, and his car is still parked behind there."

"Jay," Quinn protested, waiting for some kind of statement from him._ This is bull shit. I wasn't with Garrett last night. You're a liar Wilden_. Any of those would do, but he didn't say anything as he was read his rights and taken away.

**thanks for reading! :) so...what did you think? new A, a murder, and a framing?! please let me know, thanks! :)**


End file.
